SF 3870 Minnesota Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Omnibus Education policy bill

SF 3870 modifies Minnesota education laws to better support students experiencing homelessness. It defines "child experiencing homelessness" broadly to include those in motels, cars, shelters, or sharing housing due to hardship, and requires schools to immediately enroll these students without standard documentation like proof of residency. The bill mandates schools to provide comparable educational services, transportation to their school of origin when beneficial, and remove enrollment barriers like lack of medical records. It also requires school districts to designate a homeless liaison to coordinate housing and support services, ensuring students remain in their school of origin unless it conflicts with their best interests.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Housing

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Last action Apr 7, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduction → 1st Engrossment · 5 edits · Apr 7, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was updated from its introduction to its first engrossment, reflecting a significant expansion of the legislative text. The changes include the addition of numerous new sections and subsections, particularly those addressing bullying interventions, education for homeless and migratory children, and antiracist curriculum standards, alongside the removal of several previously listed sections.

Scope change

The scope of the bill has expanded substantially to include detailed provisions for supportive interventions for both targets and actors in bullying incidents, specific enrollment and service requirements for homeless and migratory children, and new definitions regarding antiracist and culturally sustaining education.

REQUIREMENT

Added new sections requiring supportive interventions for both students involved in bullying incidents, moving beyond punitive measures to include trauma-informed assessments and restorative practices.

Established specific procedures for the immediate enrollment and educational support of children experiencing homelessness and migratory children, including designating homeless liaisons.

DEFINITION

Introduced new definitions for 'antiracist,' 'culturally sustaining,' and 'institutional racism' to guide curriculum development and policy implementation.

TECHNICAL

Removed several section numbers and placeholder text that were present in the introduction but not carried forward into the engrossment version.

Updated the document title and posting date to reflect the bill's progression from introduction to first engrossment.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 7, 2026

Upper · Passed

Comm report: To pass as amended

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to Education Policy

upper

Feb 26, 2026

Introduced

Introduction and first reading

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor