March 17, 2025
Sen. Dave Murman, Chairperson
Sen. Margo Juarez
Sen. Jana Hughes, Vice Chairperson
Sen. Dan Lonowski
Sen. Danielle Conrad
Sen. Glen Meyer
Sen. Megan Hunt
Sen. Rita Sanders
Chair Murman and members of the Education Committee:
The Lincoln Public Schools offers this proponent statement in support of Senator Hansen’s LB149 which would restore the ability of elementary schools to suspend PK-2 students when alternative disciplinary methods have not been effective.
A longstanding legislative guideline of LPS is to support local control. Senator Hansen’s bill would reestablish local control for this rarely used yet important tool for student disciplinary situations. We would assert that under rare circumstances, a suspension may be warranted in order to protect the safety of students and staff, maintain continuity of instruction within the regular classroom for other students, and develop a plan for safely and supportively returning the suspended student to school.
Thank you for your consideration of the merits of Senator Hansen’s proposal.
Sincerely,
Dr. John Skretta
Interim Superintendent
Lincoln Public Schools
402-440-9092
