Subdivision 1. Character development education.

(a) Character education is the shared responsibility of parents, teachers, and members of the community. The legislature encourages districts to integrate or offer instruction on character education including, but not limited to, character qualities such as attentiveness, truthfulness, respect for authority, diligence, gratefulness, self-discipline, patience, forgiveness, respect for others, peacemaking, and resourcefulness. Instruction should be integrated into a district’s existing programs, curriculum, or the general school environment. To the extent practicable, instruction should be integrated into positive behavioral intervention strategies, under section 122A.627. The commissioner shall provide assistance at the request of a district to develop character education curriculum and programs. (b) Character development education under paragraph (a) may include a voluntary elementary, middle, and high school program that incorporates the history and values of Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and may be offered as part of the social studies, English language arts, or other curriculum, as a schoolwide character building and veteran awareness initiative, or as an after-school program, among other possibilities.

Subdivision 1. Model policy. — The commissioner shall maintain and make available to school boards a model sexual, religious, and racial harassment and violence policy. The model policy shall address the requirements of subdivision 2, and may encourage violence prevention and character development education programs, consistent with section 120B.232, subdivision 1, to prevent and reduce policy violations.

Subd. 2. Sexual, religious, and racial harassment and violence policy. — A school board must adopt a written sexual, religious, and racial harassment and sexual, religious, and racial violence policy that conforms with chapter 363A. The policy shall apply to pupils, teachers, administrators, and other school personnel, include reporting procedures, and set forth disciplinary actions that will be taken for violation of the policy. Disciplinary actions must conform with collective bargaining agreements and sections 121A.41 to 121A.56. The policy must be conspicuously posted throughout each school building, given to each district employee and independent contractor at the time of entering into the person’s employment contract, and included in each school’s student handbook on school policies. Each school must develop a process for discussing the school’s sexual, religious, and racial harassment and violence policy with students and school employees.

Subd. 3. Submission to commissioner. — Each school board must submit to the commissioner a copy of the sexual, religious, and racial harassment and sexual, religious, and racial violence policy the board has adopted.

Subd. 4. Local policy components.

(b) Professional development under a local policy includes, but is not limited to, information about:

• (1) developmentally appropriate strategies both to prevent and to immediately and effectively intervene to stop prohibited conduct;
• (2) the complex dynamics affecting an actor, target, and witnesses to prohibited conduct;
• (3) research on prohibited conduct, including specific categories of students at risk for prohibited conduct in school;
• (4) the incidence and nature of cyberbullying; and
• (5) Internet safety and cyberbullying.

Model policy addresses character education to help students identify, prevent, and reduce bullying and create a safe learning environment.

Site provides resources and guidance on SEL implementation.

Site provides resources on social-emotional learning.

Site provides information on social-emotional learning.

Document provides resources and guidance on SEL implementation.