Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2021
Latest action · Jun 11, 2021 Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 11, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2021
This bill prohibits the use of corporal punishment in schools that receive federal funding.
Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to take specified actions (e.g., withholding funds and issuing cease-and-desist orders) for schools that allow school personnel, law enforcement officers, or school security guards to subject students to corporal punishment.
The bill also establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to corporal punishment.
Each state educational agency (SEA) that receives federal funding must submit specified information to ED, including a school climate report that describes the SEA's policies and procedures related to exclusionary and aversive discipline practices in schools.
Additionally, the bill authorizes ED to award three-year grants to SEAs and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to implement positive behavioral interventions and supports to address student behavior and reduce exclusionary and aversive discipline practices.
ED must promulgate regulations as necessary to ensure compliance with the bill. The Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior must ensure that the schools they operate or fund also comply with these regulations.
Cosponsors 30
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 11, 2021 to Aug 23, 2022; 14 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NC | Alma S. Adams | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-IN | André Carson | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-MD | David J. Trone | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-VA | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-AZ | Ruben Gallego | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Original | Jun 11, 2021 |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Nov 18, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | May 13, 2022 | |
| D-WA | Pramila Jayapal | May 13, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | May 24, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Jun 7, 2022 | |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Jun 7, 2022 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Jun 7, 2022 | |
| D-GA | Lucy McBath | Jun 15, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Sara Jacobs | Jun 15, 2022 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Jun 15, 2022 | |
| D-MI | Haley M. Stevens | Jul 13, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Jul 13, 2022 | |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Aug 23, 2022 | |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Aug 23, 2022 | |
| D-DE | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Aug 23, 2022 | |
| D-FL | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | Aug 23, 2022 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Jun 11, 2021 |
| House | Armed Services Committee | Referred Jun 11, 2021 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 11, 2021Introduced in House
- Jun 11, 2021Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 102, June 11, 2021, page H2710.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2029 | Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2021 | Identical bill | Jun 10, 2021 |
| HR 3265 | Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2025 | Cross-Congress related bill | May 8, 2025 |
| S 5470 | Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2026 | Cross-Congress related bill | Sep 23, 2026 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To prohibit the use of corporal punishment in schools, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Education.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Child health
- Child safety and welfare
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Education
- Education
- Education programs funding
- Elementary and secondary education
- Employment and training programs
- Government information and archives
- Law enforcement officers
- School administration
- State and local government operations
- Teaching, teachers, curricula
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 11, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
