Para enmendar el Artículo 9.07 del Capítulo IX de la Ley Núm. 85-2018, según enmendada, conocida como “Ley de Reforma Educativa de Puerto Rico”, a fin de definir y prohibir expresamente la violencia escolar; hacer sus disposiciones extensivas a la violencia escolar; y proveer que además del personal escolar y los estudiantes de las escuelas públicas, los padres, tutores y encargados de estos últimos tengan la oportunidad de participar en programas, orientaciones, actividades y talleres de capacitación para adquirir conocimiento y herramientas sobre la política pública relativa a la violencia escolar y el hostigamiento e intimidación entre estudiantes o el personal escolar, abarcando las sanciones o medidas disciplinarias aplicables que conllevan dichos actos o conducta y la responsabilidad de todos estos al respecto.

2025-2028 Session

Requires Puerto Rico schools to train parents, staff, and students on violence prevention policies, definitions, and disciplinary consequences to reduce school violence and harassment.

Comisión no recomienda aprobación de la medida

Legislative bill overview

Bill PS 895 amends Puerto Rico's 2018 Education Reform Law to explicitly define and prohibit school violence, and requires that parents, guardians, and caregivers—alongside school staff and students—participate in training programs about school violence policies, harassment, bullying, and applicable disciplinary measures. The bill aims to create comprehensive community awareness of school violence prevention and consequences.

Why is this important

School violence affects student safety, academic performance, and mental health across Puerto Rico's education system. Involving parents and guardians in understanding violence policies and disciplinary consequences can improve accountability, consistency in enforcement, and create shared responsibility between schools and families in preventing incidents. Explicit legal definitions also provide clearer guidelines for what constitutes school violence and how it should be addressed.

Potential points of contention

Implementation costs: Mandatory training programs for parents, staff, and students require funding for curriculum development, instructors, and coordination—a significant burden for already-strained school budgets

Participation enforcement: The bill mandates that parents participate in programs but doesn't specify penalties for non-compliance or how schools will ensure actual attendance and engagement

Definition scope: The phrase "school violence" may be too broadly or narrowly defined depending on final regulations, potentially capturing minor incidents or excluding serious ones; lacks detail in the provided text