One of the goals for State Senator Julian Garrett this upcoming legislative session is to work on a solution for how to handle disruptions in the classroom. Senator Garrett tells KNIA News when a student disrupts a class, the current process for many schools is to empty the classroom, and that has been one of the biggest concerns he has received from parents.

“We don’t have a bill written yet but we are working on something. It’s a difficult balancing act to try to respect the rights of students. And some of the students who are causing the issues have mental health issues, I know that. Parents are really concerned that they are paying tax money to get their kids educated and then things happen in the classroom where education stops and kids have to leave while the unruly student acts up and so on. Most of the people I’ve talked to say that’s unreasonable, you shouldn’t let one student disrupt the whole class.”

Garrett also said that a solution won’t be easy, and the legislature will have to navigate current federal laws, as well as providing better mental health care.