Bill > SF3969

This bill establishes new policies and procedures related to education and child protection, with key provisions taking effect on July 1, 2026. It mandates that school employees, independent contractors, and volunteers must not be alone with a student during field trips, including those with overnight stays. The bill also creates the criminal offense of "grooming," defined as a pattern of conduct by an adult (18 or older) that attempts to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child (15 or younger) into unlawful sexual conduct for sexual gratification, making it a felony. Furthermore, it requires police departments and county sheriffs to notify the appropriate licensing boards when a teacher is criminally charged with certain offenses that require predatory offender registration, and it mandates that the Commissioner of Education develop training for mandated reporters of child maltreatment, specifically including modules on grooming and the reporting of maltreatment involving students up to age 21. The bill also clarifies that agencies can investigate alleged maltreatment that occurred more than three years prior to the report, removing previous limitations on such investigations.

Education

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2026/0/SF/3969/