I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10189 

To authorize the Secretary of Education, in collaboration with the Secretary 

of Health and Human Services, to establish an interagency advisory 

Commission on Advancing Restorative Justice in Elementary and Secondary Education, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 20, 2024 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mr. JACKSON

of Illinois, Mr. FROST, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. 

KELLY of Illinois, Ms. TLAIB, and Mr. CARTER of Louisiana) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 

the Workforce 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Education, in collaboration 

with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to 

establish an interagency advisory Commission on Advancing Restorative Justice in Elementary and Secondary 

Education, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commission on Ad5 vancing Restorative Justice in Elementary and Secondary 

6 Education Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Students of color often experience harsher 

4 disciplinary measures and greater barriers to edu5 cational opportunities due to racial and gender bi6 ases embedded into school codes of conduct, dis7 cipline policies, and dress code policies. 

8 (2) Racial and gender biases in school discipline 

9 practices and limited requirements in educator prep10 aration and professional development all influence 

11 how school personal react to behavior by students of 

12 color. 

13 (3) Improved and increased opportunities for 

14 culturally competence professional development pro15 grams can help teachers and related school per16 sonnel more effectively respond to student behavior 

17 misbehavior and thereby decrease the disparity be18 tween how Black and White students are disciplined. 

19 (b) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this Act are the fol20 lowing: 

21 (1) To support the mental and behavioral 

22 health of students of color. 

23 (2) To increase capacity for providing mental 

24 health support and counseling services that are ac25 cessible, culturally competent, and responsive to the 

26 needs of students of color. 


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1 (3) To provide recommendations on universal 

2 school psychologist-to-student ratio and Counselor3 to-student ratio to ensure evidence-based healthy 

4 school climate interventions, accessible mental health 

5 support, program evaluation, and teacher consulta6 tion. 

7 (4) To codify restorative-level practices that 

8 create equitable learning environments, develop9 mental relationships, and build academic engage10 ment. 

11 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY ADVISORY COMMISSION ON ADVANC12 ING RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN ELEMENTARY 

13 AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

15 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in col16 laboration with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv17 ices, shall establish a commission to be known as the 

18 Interagency Advisory Commission on Advancing Restora19 tive Justice in Elementary and Secondary Education (in 

20 this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

21 (b) DUTIES.—The duties of the Commission shall be 

22 to— 

23 (1) create guidelines for elementary schools and 

24 secondary schools to track and report the groups of 

25 students who most frequently participate in mediVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:56 Nov 26, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10189.IH H10189

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1 ation, restorative practices, and other similar prac2 tices; 

3 (2) develop definitions of the terms ‘‘restorative 

4 justice’’ and ‘‘restorative practices’’ to be used by 

5 the Department of Education; 

6 (3) develop and distribute training materials for 

7 school personnel that— 

8 (A) include practices that align with the 

9 definitions developed pursuant to paragraph 

10 (2); and 

11 (B) provide information on emotional and 

12 social disruptions and delays, accountability 

13 checks, peer discussions, and other classroom 

14 approaches that reduce bias, enhance cultural 

15 competency, and allow for critical reflection; 

16 (4) increase the ability of school personnel to 

17 provide mental health support and counseling serv18 ices that are accessible, culturally competent, and re19 sponsive to the needs of students of color; and 

20 (5) develop and recommend, to elementary 

21 schools and secondary schools that receive funds 

22 under an applicable program, school psychologist-to23 student and counselor-to-student ratios that ensure 

24 lower caseloads, evidence-based school climate interVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:56 Nov 26, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10189.IH H10189

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1 ventions, accessible mental health support, program 

2 evaluation, and teacher consultation. 

3 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

4 (1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Com5 mission shall be composed of not more than 13 

6 members, appointed not later than 90 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act by the Secretary, 

8 in collaboration with the Secretary of Health and 

9 Human Services, as follows: 

10 (A) 1 member from each of the following: 

11 (i) The Office of Elementary and Sec12 ondary Education of the Department of 

13 Education. 

14 (ii) The Office of Special Education 

15 and Rehabilitative Services of the Depart16 ment of Education. 

17 (iii) The Office for Civil Rights of the 

18 Department of Education. 

19 (iv) The Office of Early Childhood 

20 Development of the Department of Health 

21 and Human Services. 

22 (v) The Office of Child Supportive 

23 Services of the Department of Health and 

24 Human Services. 


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1 (vi) The White House Initiative on 

2 Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, 

3 and Economic Opportunity for Black 

4 Americans. 

5 (vii) An organization that represents 

6 restorative justice and the behavioral 

7 health of young students of color. 

8 (viii) An organization that advocates 

9 for mental health services and suicide pre10 vention in elementary schools and sec11 ondary schools. 

12 (ix) An organization representing sec13 ondary and postsecondary students of color 

14 with special education needs. 

15 (x) An organization representing psy16 chological and counseling directors at ele17 mentary schools and secondary schools. 

18 (B) 1 member who is a scholarly expert 

19 and practitioner in the areas of schooling expe20 riences of students of color and equity and 

21 school discipline reform. 

22 (C) 2 members who are— 

23 (i) students of color; or 

24 (ii) family members of such students. 


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1 (2) CHAIRPERSON; VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The 

2 Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Commis3 sion shall be selected from among the members by 

4 the Secretary. 

5 (3) RATES OF PAY.—Members shall serve with6 out pay. 

7 (4) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member shall 

8 receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

9 subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions 

10 under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 

11 States Code. 

12 (d) MEETINGS.— 

13 (1) INITIAL MEETING.—The Commission shall 

14 meet not later than 60 days after the appointment 

15 of the members of the Commission under subsection 

16 (c). 

17 (2) ADDITIONAL MEETINGS.—After the initial 

18 meeting required under paragraph (1), the Commis19 sion shall meet no fewer than 7 times at the call of 

20 the Chairperson. 

21 (e) STAFF.—The Secretary may appoint personnel as 

22 the Secretary considers appropriate. 

23 (f) REPORTS.— 

24 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year 

25 after the date on which all members are appointed 


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1 under subsection (c), and on an annual basis for 

2 each of the 4 years thereafter, the Commission shall 

3 submit to the Secretary, the Secretary of Health and 

4 Human Services, the Committee on Health, Edu5 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the 

6 Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 

7 House of Representatives a report on the progress of 

8 the Commission, including— 

9 (A) a summary of the information gath10 ered pursuant to carrying out the duties de11 scribed in subsection (b), including any conclu12 sions reached from such information; 

13 (B) a description of how the training mate14 rials developed under subsection (b)(3)— 

15 (i) were distributed by the Commis16 sion, including with respect to how such 

17 distribution focused on students of color; 

18 and 

19 (ii) increased the cultural competence 

20 of school personnel and reduced dispropor21 tionate discipline of students of color, as 

22 compared to before the distribution of such 

23 materials; 

24 (C) a description of the efforts taken to in25 crease the ability of school personnel to provide 


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1 the mental health support and counseling serv2 ices described in subsection (b)(4); and 

3 (D) a description of the steps taken to— 

4 (i) increase the capacity of school psy5 chologists and counselors in the ways de6 scribed in subsection (b)(5); and 

7 (ii) reduce disproportionate discipline. 

8 (2) FINAL REPORT.—The final report sub9 mitted under paragraph (1) shall include, in addition 

10 to the information required under such paragraph, 

11 the final findings, conclusions, and recommendations 

12 of the Commission. 

13 (g) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate 

14 90 days after submitting the final report described in sub15 section (f)(2). 

16 (h) DEFINITIONS.— 

17 (1) APPLICABLE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘appli18 cable program’’ has the meaning given such term in 

19 section 400(c) of the General Education Provisions 

20 Act (20 U.S.C. 1221(c)). 

21 (2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 

22 school’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, and ‘‘Secretary’’ have 

23 the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of 


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1 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

2 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

Æ 


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