LB 653 — Change provisions relating to acceptance of students under the enrollment option program and discipline of students under the Student Discipline Act

ER102 ER102 LB653 LB653 JNH2026 -LEGISLATIVE 01/27/2026BILL JNH653 -Approved 01/27/2026by Ethe ANDGovernor RMarch AMENDMENTS4, TO2026 LB 653   Introduced by Guereca,Murman, 7,38; Chairman Enrollment and Review 1.

OnConrad, page46; 1, strike lines 2 through 8 and insert "79-265, 79-265.01, and 79-268, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska;

Fredrickson, 20;

Lippincott, 34;

Lonowski, 33;

Sanders, 45.

  A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to education;

to amend sections 79-238, 79-265, 79-265.01, and 79-268, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska;

and to repeal the original sections.".sections.

-1-Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska, Section 1.

Section 79-238, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended to read:

79-238 (1)(a) Except as provided in this section and sections 79-235.01 and 79-240, the school board of the option school district shall adopt by resolution specific capacity standards for acceptance and rejection of applications.

(b) Capacity for special education services operated by an option school district shall be determined on a case-by-case basis.

If an application for option enrollment received by a school district indicates that the student has an individualized education program under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C.

1400 et seq., or has been diagnosed with a disability as defined in section 79-1118.01, such application shall be evaluated by the director of special education services of the school district or the director's designee who shall determine if the school district and the appropriate class, grade level, or school building in such school district has the capacity to provide the applicant the appropriate services and accommodations.

(c) For all other students, standards may include the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or school building.

Capacity shall be determined by setting a maximum number of option students that a district will accept in any program, class, grade level, or school building, based upon available staff, facilities, projected enrollment of resident students, and projected number of students with which the option school district will contract based on existing contractual arrangements.

(d) To facilitate option enrollment, school districts shall annually establish, publish, and report the capacity for each school building under such district's control pursuant to procedures, criteria, and deadlines established by the State Board of Education.

Except as otherwise provided in this section, a school board may by resolution, prior to October 15 of each school year, declare a program, a class, or a school unavailable to option students for the next school year due to lack of capacity.

Standards shall not include previous academic achievement, athletic or other extracurricular ability, disabilities, proficiency in the English language, or previous disciplinary proceedings except as provided in section 79-266.01.

False or substantively misleading information submitted by a parent or guardian on an application to an option school district may be cause for the option school district to reject a previously accepted application if the rejection occurs prior to the student's attendance as an option student.

(2) The school board of every school district shall also adopt specific standards and conditions for acceptance or rejection of a request for release of a resident or option student submitting an application to an option school district after March 15 under subsection (1) of section 79-237.

Standards shall not include that a request occurred after the deadline set forth in this subsection.

(3) Any option school district that is not a member of a learning community shall automatically accept applications for give first priority for enrollment to siblings of option students enrolled in the option school district without regard to capacity limitations , except that the option school district shall not be required to accept the sibling of an option student if the district is at capacity except as provided in subsection (1) of section 79-240.

(4) Any option school district that is in a learning community shall automatically accept applications for give first priority for enrollment to siblings of option students enrolled in the option school district without regard to capacity limitations, then give first second priority for enrollment to students who have previously been enrolled in the option school district as an open enrollment student, second third priority for enrollment to students who reside in the learning community and who contribute to the socioeconomic diversity of enrollment at the school building to which the student will be assigned pursuant to section 79-235, and final priority for enrollment to other students who reside in the learning community.

The option school district shall not be required to accept a student meeting the priority criteria in this section if the district is at capacity as determined pursuant to subsection (1) of this section except for siblings of option students or as provided in -1- LB653 LB653 2026 section 79-235.01 or 79-240.

For purposes of the enrollment option program, a student who contributes to the socioeconomic diversity of enrollment at a school building within a learning community means (a) a student who does not qualify for free or reduced-price lunches when, based upon the certification pursuant to section 79-2120, the school building the student will be assigned to attend either has more students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches than the average percentage of such students in all school buildings in the learning community or provides free meals to all students pursuant to the community eligibility provision or (b) a student who qualifies for free or reduced-price lunches based on information collected voluntarily from parents and guardians pursuant to section 79-237 when, based upon the certification pursuant to section 79-2120, the school building the student will be assigned to attend has fewer students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches than the average percentage of such students in all school buildings in the learning community and does not provide free meals to all students pursuant to the community eligibility provision.

Sec.

2.

Section 79-265, Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, is amended to read:

79-265 (1) Except as provided in section 79-265.01, the principal may deny any student the right to attend school or to take part in any school function for a period of up to five school days on the following grounds:

(a) Conduct constituting grounds for expulsion as set out in the Student Discipline Act;

or (b) Any other violation of rules and standards of behavior adopted under the act.

(2) Such short-term suspension shall be made only after the principal has made an investigation of the alleged conduct or violation and has determined that such suspension is necessary to help any student, to further school purposes, or to prevent an interference with school purposes.

(3) Before such short-term suspension takes effect, the student and the parent, guardian, or educational decisionmaker as defined in section 79-530 of the student shall be given oral and written notice of the charges against the student or written notice of the charges against him or her, an explanation of the evidence the authorities have, and an opportunity to present the student's his or her version of the events leading to the alleged conduct or violation the principal has determined necessitates a short-term suspension and evidence to support the student's version of such events.

(4)(a) (4) Within twenty-four hours or such additional time as is reasonably necessary, not to exceed an additional forty-eight hours, following such suspension, the principal shall send a written statement to the student and his or her parent or guardian describing:

(i) The the student's conduct, misconduct, or violation of the rule or standard;

and (ii) The the reasons for the action taken;

(iii) The actions made by the school to try to discontinue or alleviate the behavior of the student prior to considering suspension;

(iv) Resources the school is able to provide or recommend to assist the student;