[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2111 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2111

 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow 
State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools to 
 increase implementation of early intervention services, particularly 
                school-wide positive behavior supports.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 27, 2007

  Mr. Obama (for himself, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Sanders) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow 
State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools to 
 increase implementation of early intervention services, particularly 
                school-wide positive behavior supports.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Positive Behavior for Effective 
Schools Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Educators, parents, and the general public cite a lack 
        of discipline as a leading challenge facing many public 
        schools.
            (2) Negative and reactive school management practices, such 
        as metal detectors or surveillance cameras, and zero tolerance 
        or other get-tough approaches to school discipline, are 
        ineffective and often counterproductive.
            (3) Learning is linked to student behavior. Successful 
        schools implement high academic and behavior standards, where 
        improvements in student behavior and school climate are 
        correlated with improved academic outcomes.
            (4) Effective implementation of positive behavior supports 
        is linked to greater academic achievement, significantly fewer 
        disciplinary problems, lower suspension and expulsion rates, 
        and increased time for instruction.
            (5) Evidence-based and scientifically valid practices for 
        improving behavior and creating a school climate more conducive 
        to learning have not been widely adopted, accurately 
        implemented, or sustained.
            (6) Early intervening services are an effective strategy 
        for instructional support. Following implementation of positive 
        behavior support, out-of-school suspensions at an elementary 
        school in Illinois decreased 85 percent, from 243 to 37 or 
        fewer in 2 subsequent years, with a resultant gain of 386 days 
        of instructional time. The percentage of students meeting or 
        exceeding proficiency on State standards increased measurably.
            (7) Problem behaviors can be minimized with effective 
        positive behavior support, including active supervision, 
        positive feedback, and social skills instruction, which reduce 
        the need for more intensive and more costly interventions. Upon 
        implementing such supports, an elementary school in Maryland 
        witnessed a decrease in office discipline referrals for major 
        rule violations by 42 percent, recouping 119 days of 
        instructional time for students, and 40 days of administrator 
        time, within 1 school year.
            (8) Schools that implement school-wide positive behavior 
        supports are perceived by teachers to be safer teaching 
        environments. In South Carolina, a school using a system of 
        positive behavior supports found that teacher transfer requests 
        declined by 100 percent and teacher absence days decreased by 
        36 percent.
            (9) When approaches such as positive behavior support are 
        paired with effective interventions and services for students 
        with significant needs, all students, including those with the 
        most challenging behaviors, can succeed.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to expand the use of 
positive behavior supports and other early intervening services in 
schools in order to systematically create a school climate that is 
highly conducive to learning, to reduce discipline referrals, and to 
improve student academic outcomes.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT.

    In this Act, the term ``positive behavior support'' means a 
systematic approach to embed proven practices for early intervening 
services, including a range of systemic and individualized strategies 
to reinforce desired behaviors and eliminate reinforcement for problem 
behaviors, in order to achieve important social outcomes and increase 
student learning, while preventing problem behaviors.

SEC. 4. SCHOOLWIDE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT.

    (a) Flexibility To Use Title I Funds To Implement School-Wide 
Positive Behavior Support.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1003(b) of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6303(b)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``Of the amount''; 
                and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) Of the amount reserved under subsection (a) for any fiscal 
year, the State educational agency may allocate funds to develop and 
implement coordinated, early intervening services (including school-
wide positive behavior supports) for all students, including those who 
have not been identified as needing special education but who need 
additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general 
education environment. Funds so allocated shall be--
            ``(A) aligned with funds authorized under section 613(f) of 
        the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and
            ``(B) used to supplement, and not supplant, funds made 
        available under such Act for such activities and services.''.
            (2) Technical assistance.--The Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended--
                    (A) in section 1116(b)(4)(B)--
                            (i) by redesignating clauses (iii) and (iv) 
                        as clauses (iv) and (v), respectively; and
                            (ii) by inserting after clause (ii) the 
                        following:
                            ``(iii) shall include assistance in 
                        implementation of school-wide positive behavior 
                        supports and other approaches with evidence of 
                        effectiveness for improving the learning 
                        environment in the school;'';
                    (B) in section 1117(a)(3), by inserting ``any 
                technical assistance center on schoolwide positive 
                behavior supports funded under section 665(b) of the 
                Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,'' after 
                ``2002),''; and
                    (C) in section 1117(a)(5)(B)--
                            (i) by redesignating clauses (iii) and (iv) 
                        as clauses (iv) and (v), respectively; and
                            (ii) by inserting after clause (ii) the 
                        following:
                            ``(iii) review the number of discipline 
                        referrals in the school and the overall school 
                        climate and engagement of families, and use 
                        that information to assist the school to 
                        implement school-wide positive behavior 
                        supports or other early intervening services, 
                        or both;''.
    (b) LEA Flexibility To Improve School Climate.--Section 
1114(b)(1)(B)(iii)(I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314(b)(1)(B)(iii)(I)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating items (bb) and (cc) as items (cc) and 
        (dd), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after item (aa) the following:
                                            ``(bb) improving the 
                                        learning environment in the 
                                        school, including the 
                                        implementation of school-wide 
                                        positive behavioral supports, 
                                        in order to improve academic 
                                        outcomes for students;''.

SEC. 5. TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL PREPARATION TO IMPROVE SCHOOL CLIMATE.

    Section 2122(c)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6622(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``subject matter knowledge and teaching 
        skills'' and inserting ``subject matter knowledge, teaching 
        skills, and an understanding of social or emotional, or both, 
        learning in children and approaches that improve the school 
        climate for learning (such as positive behavior support)''; and
            (2) by inserting ``to improve the teachers' schools' 
        climate for learning'' after ``instructional leadership skills 
        to help teachers''.

SEC. 6. SAFE AND DRUG FREE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES.

    Section 4002 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7102) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as 
        paragraphs (2) through (5), respectively; and
            (2) by striking all that precedes paragraph (2) and 
        inserting the following: ``The purpose of this part is to 
        support programs that improve the whole school climate in order 
        to foster learning, including programs that prevent discipline 
        problems, that prevent violence in and around schools, that 
        prevent the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, that 
        involve parents and communities in the school programs and 
        activities, and that are coordinated with related Federal, 
        State, school, and community efforts and resources to foster a 
        safe and drug-free learning environment that supports student 
        academic achievement, through the provision of Federal 
        assistance to--
            ``(1) States for grants to local educational agencies and 
        consortia of such agencies to establish, operate, and improve 
        local programs relating to improving the school-wide climate 
        (including implementation of positive behavior supports and 
        other programs);''.

SEC. 7. EARLY INTERVENING SERVICES UNDER SCHOOL COUNSELORS PROGRAM.

    Section 5421(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7245(b)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) through (H) as 
        subparagraphs (D) through (I), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
                    ``(C) describe how the local educational agency 
                will address the need for early intervening services 
                that improve the school climate for learning, such as 
                through schoolwide positive behavior supports;''.

SEC. 8. OFFICE OF SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES.

    The Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3401 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end of title II the following:

``SEC. 221. OFFICE OF SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--There shall be, within the Office of the Deputy 
Secretary in the Department of Education, an Office of Specialized 
Instructional Support Services (referred to in this section as the 
`Office').
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Office shall be to administer, 
coordinate, implement, and ensure adequate evaluation of the 
effectiveness of programs and activities concerned with providing 
specialized instructional support services in schools, delivered by 
trained, qualified specialized instructional support personnel.
    ``(c) Director.--The Office established under subsection (a) shall 
be headed by a Director who shall be selected by the Secretary and 
report directly to the Deputy Secretary of Education.
    ``(d) Activities.--In carrying out subsection (b), the Director 
shall support activities to--
            ``(1) improve specialized instructional support services in 
        schools in order to improve academic achievement and 
        educational results for students;
            ``(2) identify scientifically valid practices in 
        specialized instructional support services that support 
        learning and improve academic achievement and educational 
        results for students;
            ``(3) provide continuous training and professional 
        development opportunities for specialized instructional support 
        personnel and other school personnel in the use of effective 
        techniques to address academic, behavioral, and functional 
        needs;
            ``(4) provide technical assistance to local educational 
        agencies and State educational agencies in the provision of 
        effective, scientifically valid, specialized instructional 
        support services;
            ``(5) coordinate specialized instructional support services 
        programs and services in schools between the Department of 
        Education and other Federal agencies, as appropriate; and
            ``(6) ensure evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
        activities described in this subsection, as directed by the 
        Secretary and Deputy Secretary.
    ``(e) Specialized Instructional Support Personnel; Specialized 
Instructional Support Services.--In this section:
            ``(1) Specialized instructional support personnel.--The 
        term `specialized instructional support personnel' means school 
        counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, and 
        other qualified professional personnel involved in providing 
        assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, 
        and other necessary corrective or supportive services 
        (including related services, as such term is defined in section 
        602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) as part 
        of a comprehensive program to meet student needs.
            ``(2) Specialized instructional support services.--The term 
        `specialized instructional support services' means the services 
        provided by specialized instructional support personnel, 
        including any other corrective or supportive services to meet 
        student needs.''.

SEC. 9. DEFINITION IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 1965.

    Section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (33) through (43) as 
        paragraphs (34) through (44); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (32) the following:
            ``(33) Positive behavior support.--The term `positive 
        behavior support' means a systematic approach to embed proven 
        practices for early intervening services, including a range of 
        systemic and individualized strategies to reinforce desired 
        behaviors and eliminate reinforcement for problem behaviors, in 
        order to achieve important social outcomes and increase student 
        learning, while preventing problem behaviors.''.
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