Learn more about HB 1239
Understanding Washington state House Bill 1239:
HB 1239 would help protect students from physical abuse in our schools.
The bill would:
Make it unlawful for teachers to physically correct a child by force.
Make it easier for parents and communities to track teachers with a history of bad behavior.
Establish a code of educator ethics that bans physical abuse in schools.
Bill sponsors include: Reps. Santos, Kloba, Morgan, Ramel, Pollet
Why this matters:
According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction records, these are all things that have happened to students in the past 10 years in Washington state public schools:
- hitting a student on the shoulder
- grabbing the faces and arms of kindergarteners
- hitting students on the back of the head
- swatting with a meter stick
- slapping students
- kicking a student
- shoving a desk into a student's back
- spraying water at a student as discipline
- cutting a student's hair with scissors
- grabbing a student's hair