[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4397 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4397

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
criteria for use of Federal funds to support trauma-informed practices 
                  in schools, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 23, 2024

   Ms. Smith 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 provide 
criteria for use of Federal funds to support trauma-informed practices 
                  in schools, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Trauma-Informed Schools Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES.

    (a) Definition.--Section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (51) and (52) as paragraphs 
        (52) and (53), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (50) the following:
            ``(51) Trauma-informed practices.--The term `trauma-
        informed practices' means--
                    ``(A) evidence-based professional development that 
                promotes a shared understanding among teachers, 
                teachers assistants, school leaders, paraprofessionals, 
                specialized instructional support personnel, and other 
                staff that--
                            ``(i) adverse and potentially traumatic 
                        experiences are common among students;
                            ``(ii) trauma can impact student learning, 
                        behavior, and relationships in school;
                            ``(iii) adverse and potentially traumatic 
                        experiences do not inherently undermine the 
                        capabilities of students to reach high 
                        expectations in academics and life;
                            ``(iv) school-wide learning environments 
                        where all students and adults feel safe, 
                        welcomed, and supported can enable students to 
                        succeed despite adverse and potentially 
                        traumatic experiences; and
                            ``(v) services, supports, and programs 
                        provided to meet individual student needs 
                        should be trauma informed, where appropriate, 
                        and increase student connection to the school-
                        wide learning environment;
                    ``(B) adoption of disciplinary procedures and 
                practices that--
                            ``(i) accompany disciplinary actions with 
                        holistic assessments and positive behavioral 
                        interventions and supports to address the 
                        underlying causes of student behavior, 
                        including trauma;
                            ``(ii) avoid harsh, punitive, or 
                        exclusionary disciplinary practices;
                            ``(iii) utilize evidence-based restorative 
                        practices that build a culture of trust; and
                            ``(iv) do not discriminate on the basis of 
                        race, color, national origin, sex (including 
                        sexual orientation or gender identity), 
                        disability, English proficiency status, migrant 
                        status, or age consistent with the Age 
                        Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 6101 et 
                        seq.), title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 
                        (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), title IX of the 
                        Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et 
                        seq.), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 
                        1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), the Americans with 
                        Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et 
                        seq.), and the Individuals with Disabilities 
                        Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.); and
                    ``(C) activities that engage teachers, teachers 
                assistants, school leaders, paraprofessionals, 
                specialized instructional support personnel, other 
                staff, and families in a process of school-based 
                planning to--
                            ``(i) promote a school-wide culture of 
                        acceptance;
                            ``(ii) help all students feel safe and 
                        connected to the school community;
                            ``(iii) support all students to form 
                        positive relationships with adults and peers, 
                        understand and manage emotions, achieve success 
                        academically and in extra-curricular areas, and 
                        experience physical and psychological health 
                        and well-being;
                            ``(iv) promote teamwork and effective 
                        communication among all staff and shared 
                        responsibility for every student;
                            ``(v) integrate evidence-based practices 
                        that build social-emotional skills into 
                        rigorous academic instruction; and
                            ``(vi) recognize and prevent adult implicit 
                        bias.''.
    (b) State Plan.--Section 1111(g)(1)(C) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(g)(1)(C)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``reducing'';
            (2) in clause (i), by inserting ``reducing'' before 
        ``incidences'';
            (3) in clause (ii)--
                    (A) by inserting ``reducing'' before ``the 
                overuse''; and
                    (B) by striking ``and'';
            (4) in clause (iii)--
                    (A) by inserting ``reducing'' before ``the use''; 
                and
                    (B) by inserting ``and'' after ``safety;''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iv) increasing the prevalence of trauma-
                        informed practices;''.
    (c) Plan Provisions.--Section 1112(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
6312(b)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (12) and (13) as paragraphs 
        (13) and (14), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (11) the following:
            ``(12) how the local educational agency will support 
        efforts to increase the prevalence of trauma-informed 
        practices;''.
    (d) Schoolwide Program.--Section 1114(b)(7)(A)(iii) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 6314(b)(7)(A)(iii)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (IV), by striking at the end ``and''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                                    ``(VI) the implementation of 
                                trauma-informed practices; and''.
    (e) Training.--Section 2101 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 6611) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)(4)(B)--
                    (A) by redesignating clauses (xv) through (xxi) as 
                clauses (xvi) through (xxii), respectively; and
                    (B) by inserting after clause (xiv) the following:
                            ``(xv) Providing training for all teachers, 
                        school leaders, paraprofessionals, and 
                        specialized instructional support personnel on 
                        trauma-informed practices.''; and
            (2) in subsection (d)(2)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (K) through (M) 
                as subparagraphs (L) through (N) respectively; and
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (J) the 
                following:
                    ``(K) A description of how the State educational 
                agency will use funds under this part to increase the 
                prevalence of trauma-informed practices.''.
    (f) Local Use of Funds.--Section 2103(b)(3)(I) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 6613(b)(3)(I)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iv) as clauses 
        (ii) through (v), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting before clause (ii), as redesignated, the 
        following:
                            ``(i) trauma-informed practices;''.
    (g) State Activities.--Section 4104(b)(3)(B)(ii) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 7114(b)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (I), by striking at the end ``or'';
            (2) in subclause (II), by inserting ``or'' at the end; and
            (3) by inserting at the end the following:
                                    ``(III) increase the prevalence of 
                                trauma-informed practices;''.
    (h) State Application.--Section 4203(a)(6) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
7173(a)(6)) is amended by striking ``development;'' and inserting 
``development, which may include professional development on trauma-
informed practices;''.
    (i) Description of Plan.--Section 4303(f)(1)(A)(viii) of such Act 
(20 U.S.C. 7221b(f)(1)(A)(viii)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (I), by striking at the end ``and'';
            (2) in subclause (II), by inserting ``and'' at the end; and
            (3) by inserting at the end the following:
                                    ``(III) adopting trauma-informed 
                                practices;''.
    (j) Application Requirements.--Section 4305(b)(3)(B)(ii) of such 
Act (20 U.S.C. 7221d(b)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (II), by striking ``and'';
            (2) in subclause (III), by inserting ``and'' at the end; 
        and
            (3) by inserting at the end the following:
                                    ``(IV) the discipline practices 
                                that will be used, including a 
                                description of whether such practices 
                                are consistent with trauma-informed 
                                practices;''.
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