The State Superintendent of Education, pursuant to the authority set forth in section 3(b)(11) of the State Education Office Establishment Act of 2000, effective October 21, 2000 (DC Law 13-176; DC Official Code § 38-2602(b)(11)) (2009 Supp.), hereby gives notice of her intent to adopt proposed rules to amend Chapter 25, Subtitle E of Title 5 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR). Upon final adoption in not less than thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this notice in the DC Register, these rules will be included in Chapter 25, Subtitle A of Title 5 of the DCMR as explained below, adding a new Chapter A-25, entitled “Student Code of Conduct.” This proposal takes into consideration public comments received on the previous proposal published on February 6, 2009 (56 DCR 1301).

The proposed rules provide state level standards for the development of student conduct at a Local Education Agency (LEA) in the District of Columbia. The proposed rules recognize there must be a balance between individual rights and responsibilities with the rights and responsibilities of the school community. The proposed rules give an LEA flexibility to develop a student code of conduct consistent with the state standards enunciated in Chapter A-25 of Title 5 of the DCMR. LEAs are required  to establish policies and procedures with a broad range of strategies and interventions to maximize learning time, and to minimize classroom disruption. Consistent with best practices and a policy letter dated July 31, 2009, from the US Secretary of Education to chief state education officers, these revisions also emphasize the importance of addressing the appropriate and selective use of seclusion and restraint techniques in schools.

View and comment on the proposed rulemaking here:

The comment period will conclude on January 12, 2009.

To view all DC Code, Regulations, Mayor's Orders and notices to the DC Register, please go to the website for the DC Municipal Regulations and DC Register: http://www.dcregs.org