Georgina Lambert | Oppose HB1829

HB 1829 expands New Hampshire’s statutory definition of a “persistently dangerous school” by adding incidents resulting in physical harm (including simple assault, reckless conduct, criminal threatening, and hazing) and persistently poor academic performance as qualifying criteria. Key Provisions & Intended Outcomes Broadens qualifying incidents beyond severe violent felonies to include lower-level conduct and academic performance metrics. Allows schools to be labeled “persistently dangerous” based on academic outcomes, not solely safety incidents. Aligns “dangerousness” with federal school accountability classifications (Targeted Support and Improvement). Intended outcome: increased identification of “unsafe” or “failing” schools and potential state intervention. HB 1829, as written, poses significant risks to vulnerable students and communities by expanding the definition of “persistently dangerous schools” in ways that conflate structural educational failure with physical threat. While framed as a safety measure, the bill lacks funding, safeguards, and trauma-informed protections, and risks reinforcing punitive, stigmatizing, and inequitable educational practices.