SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington is modifying the rules for how teachers handle disruptive students in the classroom.
The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has worked on these changes for a year and a half. The new rules take effect on July 11.
“We tried to make it clearer in the context because things were just kind of all over the place in the former rules,” said Michaela Miller, deputy superintendent for OSPI.
The changes come after teachers had trouble using discipline rules created in 2019. “When I think about the blip that COVID caused within discipline, most of it is just we didn’t see it,” Miller said. In response, the state created emergency student discipline rules to give clear definitions on how schools should handle discipline problems.
But not everyone supports the changes.
“We’re deeply concerned and worried about the impacts on students furthest away from educational opportunities,” said Eric Holzapfel with the League of Education Voters Foundation.
His group opposes the changes because they fear the rules will hurt students of color more than others.
“There needs to be an equal amount of time and access given to those communities,” Holzapfel said.
While the state sets the basic rules, local school districts have the authority decide their student codes of conduct.
“Spokane Public Schools believes that it is important to keep students in school, in class, and actively engaged in learning,” said Ryan Lancaster with Spokane Public Schools. “These beliefs go hand-in-hand with our commitment to partner with administrators and families to ensure that both teacher and student needs are supported.”
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.