Discipline Policy

Discipline Collection

CDE manages an annual collection of discipline and behavior data that is related to discipline incidents that resulted in students missing regular classroom instruction (this is typically actions that resulted in in-school or out-of-school suspension or expulsion).

• School Discipline Collection Behavior Statutes & Clarifications: This document provides guidance to Colorado school districts and the Charter School Institute, referred to in this resource as Local Education Providers (LEPs), on how to report discipline incidents and subsequent actions taken as required by C.R.S. 22-32-109.1(2)(b): Safe school reporting requirements. Click here to access the document.

• School Discipline Collection Discipline Action Definitions: This document details definitions for each of the disciplinary actions outlined in the school discipline collection. Click here to access the definitions.

• Additional information about the collection is available on the collection webpage or by contacting studentdiscipline@cde.state.co.us.

Disproportionate Discipline Task Force

Task Force Page

The School Discipline Task Force was created as part of the 2023 legislative session (S.B.23-029) to study and make recommendations regarding school district discipline policies and practices, State and Local discipline reporting requirements, and local engagement.

Expulsion Hearing Officers

H.B.23-1291

Legislation passed in 2023 (H.B.23-1291) updated requirements for the expulsion hearing process and requires a new training for individuals who are acting as Expulsion Hearing Officers, starting in January 2025. The following requirements must be met as part of the training:

• Initial 5-hour training will be required when starting work as an expulsion hearing officer. CDE is developing the online modules which will be available starting July 2024.

• Training Topics

  • Child and adolescent brain development

  • Restorative justice

  • Alternatives to expulsion

  • Trauma-informed practices

  • Conflict and bias in discipline, suspension, and expulsion

  • The requirements and implementation of applicable federal and state laws

• Hearing officers must complete annual training to stay informed on school discipline updates

In addition to the training requirements, other requirements were added to the expulsion process in statute, including that schools must provide all records in advance of the expulsion hearing.

If you have questions, please reach out to Jen Gallegos

District Profile Reports

H.B.22-1376

As part of implementation of House Bill 22-1376, CDE staff is beginning development of data reports for discipline, behavior, school climate, and other measures. A stakeholder group last year completed work around data standardization as part of this bill. Click here to view the stakeholder report. 

If you have questions or would like to provide input regarding the data visualizations, please reach out to Jewel Sale at sale_j@cde.state.co.us and 720-948-7998.