We know it’s early, but if you have opened a legislative update this session and thought, here come updates to our policies, handbook, and forms, you’re right. While there’s just under half the session remaining, LB 653 is already over the finish line. Among other provisions requiring policy updates (like option enrollment), the bill makes procedural and substantive changes to the Nebraska Student Discipline Act.
For KSB Policy Service Subscribers, we plan to release policy and handbooks updates in mid-May and will conduct our annual policy update webinar in early June.
KSB’s Plan for SDA Changes
The changes to the Student Discipline Act will require handbook, policy, and form updates prior to the 2026-27 school year. But more importantly, they’ll require you to adapt how you process individual discipline decisions. For example, the new law sets up a modified system to get the affected student’s side of the story on the front end, and it requires additional information in your procedures and your notice letters for short- and long-term discipline and emergency exclusion.
To make sure you are prepared, KSB is hosting a Student Discipline Workshop this June designed specifically to get Nebraska administrators ready for the 2026-2027 school year. We’ll cover the Unicameral’s changes to the Student Discipline Act in detail, with a focus on practical implementation. We picked June because most principals are still under contract, and most boards approve handbook updates in July. Your admin team will need some time to decide how these changes will affect your processes.
Here are the details:
Date: June 18, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST
In-Person Option: KSB Offices, Lincoln, Nebraska
Virtual Option: Live Zoom broadcast (with Q&A)
On-Demand Option: Available shortly after the live training on KSB’s portal. Those who attend will continue to have access to the recorded training afterwards, as well.
Forms: All attendees (live, virtual, on-demand) will have access to continuously updated forms throughout the 2026-2027 school year.
Click here for pricing and to register.
In-person attendees will join us at the KSB offices in Lincoln. Lunch is included, followed by a casual happy hour for those who want to stay and connect with colleagues. We will make space as needed in Lincoln, but seating will be limited. If you prefer to attend onsite, secure your seat by registering early.
Also Introducing the KSB Hearing Officer Certification (On Demand)
At the same time as the June workshop, we will release a separate, on-demand Updated Student Discipline Hearing Officer Training through the KSB portal. The Hearing Officer Certification will be available independent of the June workshop and may be purchased separately.
This approximately two-hour session will include the full training necessary to serve as a hearing officer in Nebraska. It will include updated hearing officer forms and procedural guidance aligned with current law.
Participants who complete the program will receive official KSB certification, allowing districts to document that their hearing officers have current training and access to up-to-date materials. We also plan to maintain a list of fully trained and certified hearing officers that we can share with clients who receive discipline hearing requests and need to act quickly to secure a hearing officer on short timelines.
If you have any questions about KSB’s plan for policy updates, SDA training, or the likely seeding for the Husker men’s basketball team come March Madness, drop us a line or give us a call.