A local representative has co-authored a bill meant to prevent student assaults on teachers that she hopes will give teachers more autonomy in their classrooms.

District 27A Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, said the bill, included in this year’s education omnibus bill, would allow teachers to remove students temporarily who they deem to be a threat to other students or themselves.

Bennett, who co-authored the bill with chief author District 48B Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie, and two other legislators, said the bill would also allow any staff member working with students to know whether a student has a past assault on staff or students.

She cited specific alleged multiple student assaults, especially in inner cities, as reasons why the bill is necessary. In an incident last month, a substitute teacher in St. Paul alleged she was repeatedly pushed by a seventh-grade student after she took his cellphone when he refused to put it away.

Albert Lea Area Schools Superintendent Mike Funk said any measure that supports a safe environment for the school staff and students is supported by the district.

“There have been too many incidents in Minnesota of teacher assaults,” Funk said. “In Albert Lea, safe, welcoming and healthy schools are a district priority.”

Bennett said the provision would allow teachers or paraprofessionals to de-escalate situations before they explode.

A retainment fund would be established, which would help teachers pay medical costs that were caused by a classroom assault.

She said the Senate has a companion bill that addresses the issue.

The Senate bill, introduced earlier this year, would require schools to expel students who assault a teacher. That measure was met with sharp criticism from education advocates who said it didn’t solve underlying issues.

Candidate for District 27A Rep. Gary Schindler, DFL-Albert Lea, said though he does not oppose the legislation, he thinks there is more needed to address the issue.

A former high school social studies teacher, high school counselor and college counselor, Schindler said the best way to address the issue is to have more support within the building in the form of social workers and counselors.

He said having additional staff will allow the school district to address the deeper reasons for student misbehavior, noting there is a bill in the Legislature that addresses the issue.

 Sparks pleased with supplemental budget

District 27 Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, said a supplemental budget spends about half of the current surplus, with most of the rest dedicated to tax relief. The budget is expected to be acted on next week by the full Senate.

“I believe there are many strong investments made in K-12 and higher education, health care, public safety and broadband that I support and a number of which I co-authored bills for,” he said.

Sparks said bills he chiefly authored received funding in this budget, such as:

Noxious weed program, which he said was strongly supported by local governments to support their work dealing with invasive plant life.

Tractor rollover protection program, which offers grants to lower the cost of adding proven safety features to older tractors.

Minnesota Initiative Program, which Sparks said would expand a loan and technical assistance program for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

“It has been a proven successful tool for economic development that has support from the Albert Lea chamber and other local leaders,” he said, noting his plan received $5 million in funding to expand the program statewide for the benefit of local residents.

Enterprise Minnesota Growth Acceleration program, which has regularly received funding over the years because of its success in helping small businesses across the state grow through a business-assistance program focused on businesses in the later stages of development or facing transition.

Good Food Access Program, which is meant to “help communities maintain access to food and deal with issues of distance and affordability,” Sparks said.

Sparks said each budget division presented its budget recommendations to the full Finance Committee, where changes and amendments were adopted. The Finance Committee formed those recommendations into the supplemental budget bill Thursday.

—The Associated Press contributed to this report