I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3265 
To prohibit the use of corporal punishment in schools, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 8, 2025 
Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mrs. MCBATH, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. PIN-
GREE, Mr. BEYER, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. SOTO, Ms. 
MCCLELLAN, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. 
HAYES, Mr. KEATING, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. 
POCAN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. JAYAPAL, and Ms. TOKUDA) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices, 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 
A BILL 
To prohibit the use of corporal punishment in schools, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2025’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act are as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Purposes. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
TITLE I—PROHIBITION OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT 
Sec. 101. Prohibition of corporal punishment. 
Sec. 102. Civil actions by the Attorney General. 
Sec. 103. Enforcement by the Office for Civil Rights. 
Sec. 104. Parent notification and protection and advocacy systems. 
TITLE II—STATE ACTIVITIES AND GRANT PROGRAM 
Sec. 201. State plan and enforcement. 
Sec. 202. Grant authority. 
TITLE III—ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS 
Sec. 301. Federal regulations. 
Sec. 302. Other schools. 
Sec. 303. Limitation of authority. 
Sec. 304. Applicability to private schools and home schools. 
Sec. 305. Severability. 
Sec. 306. Authorization of appropriations. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) eliminate the use of corporal punishment in 
schools; 
(2) ensure, regardless of sexual orientation, 
gender identity or expression, sex, race, color, na-
tional origin, disability, or religion, the health and 
safety of all students and program personnel in 
schools and promote a positive school climate and 
culture; 
(3) assist States, local educational agencies, 
and schools in improving school climate and culture 
by implementing positive behavioral interventions 
and supports, and other models (including models 
such as restorative justice interventions, trauma-in-
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formed care, multi-tiered system of supports, crisis 
and de-escalation interventions, implicit bias train-
ing, and culturally responsive teaching), to address 
student behavior and work to eliminate the use of 
exclusionary and aversive discipline practices or 
interventions; 
(4) ensure all program personnel have the sup-
ports and training necessary to implement positive 
behavioral interventions and supports and other 
models to address student behavior and improve 
school climate and culture; and 
(5) collect and analyze data on exclusionary and 
aversive discipline practices or interventions in 
schools. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CORPORAL PUNISHMENT.—The term ‘‘cor-
poral punishment’’ means, with respect to a student, 
a deliberate act which causes the student to feel 
physical pain for the purpose of discipline, including 
an act of physical force, such as striking, spanking, 
or paddling, inflicted on a student’s body, requiring 
a student to assume a painful physical position, or 
the use of chemical sprays, electroshock weapons, or 
stun guns on a student’s body. 
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(2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 
school’’, ‘‘evidence-based’’, ‘‘local educational agen-
cy’’, ‘‘outlying area’’, ‘‘parent’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, 
‘‘Secretary’’, ‘‘State’’, and ‘‘State educational agen-
cy’’ have the meanings given the terms in section 
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(3) EXCLUSIONARY
DISCIPLINE.—The term 
‘‘exclusionary discipline’’ means any type of discipli-
nary action that removes or excludes a student from 
the student’s usual educational setting, or from ac-
cess to education services, including such discipli-
nary actions as in-school suspensions, out-of-school 
suspensions, expulsions, or any other removal, how-
ever labeled, that results in lost instructional time 
for the student. 
(4) MODEL.—The term ‘‘model’’ means an ac-
tivity, strategy, framework, or intervention that is 
evidence-based, to the extent practicable. 
(5) POSITIVE
BEHAVIORAL
INTERVENTIONS 
AND
SUPPORTS.—The term ‘‘positive behavioral 
interventions and supports’’— 
(A) means a schoolwide, systematic ap-
proach that embeds evidence-based practices 
and data-driven decision making to improve 
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school climate and culture in order to achieve 
improved academic and social outcomes and in-
crease learning for all students (including stu-
dents with the most complex and intensive be-
havioral needs); and 
(B) encompasses a range of systemic and 
individualized positive strategies to teach and 
reinforce school-expected behaviors, while dis-
couraging and diminishing undesirable behav-
iors. 
(6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means— 
(A) all of the operations of a local edu-
cational agency, system of vocational education, 
or other school system; 
(B) a program that serves children who re-
ceive services for which financial assistance is 
provided in accordance with the Head Start Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.); or 
(C) an elementary school or secondary 
school that is not a public school that enrolls a 
student who receives special education and re-
lated services under the Individuals with Dis-
abilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et 
seq.). 
(7) PROGRAM PERSONNEL.— 
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(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the term ‘‘program personnel’’ 
means any agent of a program, including an in-
dividual who is employed by a program, or who 
performs services for a program on a contrac-
tual basis, including— 
(i) school leaders; 
(ii) teachers; 
(iii) specialized instructional support 
personnel; 
(iv) paraprofessionals; or 
(v) other staff. 
(B) EXCLUSION.—Notwithstanding sub-
paragraph (A), program personnel shall not in-
clude a law enforcement officer or a school se-
curity guard. 
(8) PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SYSTEM.—The 
term ‘‘protection and advocacy system’’ means a 
protection and advocacy system established under 
section 143 of the Developmental Disabilities Assist-
ance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 
15043). 
(9) LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.—The term 
‘‘law enforcement officer’’— 
(A) means any person who— 
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