DENVER—Legislators are considering changing the state’s “zero tolerance” law on fake guns at schools following the suspension of a 17-year-old drill team commander who had practice rifles in her vehicle.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday unanimously backed a proposal (Senate Bill 237) that would give school districts discretion in deciding how to punish students who bring fake weapons to school. Currently, the law says school districts must suspend any student who brings a weapon or a facsimile of one to school.
Marie Morrow was suspended for six days after three fake practice rifles were found in the back of her SUV in the parking lot at Cherokee Trail High School earlier this month. One was made of wood and two were plastic.
Morrow, a member of the Douglas County Young Marines program, urged lawmakers to pass the bill sponsored by Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud. She apologized for breaking the law but said she didn’t realize she was doing anything wrong.
“Mainly I just don’t want this to happen to other kids who just make a mistake,” she said.
Cherry Creek School District Superintendent Mary Chesley said the law gave her no choice but to suspend Morrow. She also asked lawmakers to change the law but to make sure administrators still had the ability to suspend students who might use fake weapons to scare others.
After much haggling over the best way to change the law, committee members agreed that fake weapons found in a car shouldn’t be considered a violation at all, but that administrators should be able to decide how to punish students who display, carry or brandish a fake weapon at school. Those students wouldn’t automatically be expelled.
“We just need to make the commonsense rules work well,” Lundberg said.
