DENVER—Colorado lawmakers are moving forward with proposed changes to post-Columbine school disciplinary policies to try to give education officials more discretion over expulsions and police referrals.
A committee gave preliminary approval to a proposal that would be introduced when the Legislature meets in the spring. The proposal would eliminate zero-tolerance policies that lawmakers say have led to students being needlessly criminalized for actions that previously landed them in the principal’s office.
Lawmakers say students are now being referred to police for bringing a wooden replica of a rifle to school or for inadvertently having a butter knife in their backpack.
The strict policies arose after the 1999 Columbine High School shootings where two students killed 13 people and then themselves.
A different committee of lawmakers needs to approve the bill before it is introduced.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
A Colorado panel is discussing changes to post-Columbine school disciplinary policies to give education officials more discretion over expulsions and police referrals.
The panel of legislators, law enforcement and community leaders are discussing potential legislation Tuesday to be introduced when the Legislature meets in the spring.
Panelists say students are being needlessly criminalized because of zero-tolerance policies enacted after the 1999 Columbine High School shootings and other high-profile cases of youth violence. Those policies created under the heightened alert over school violence have tied the hands of school administrators, who often have no choice but to refer a high number of students to law enforcement for minor offenses that pose no threat to school safety, according to the panelists.
About 100,000 students in Colorado have been referred to police during the last decade, lawmakers said. The panel has heard of instances where students have been referred to police for bringing a wooden replica of a rifle to school or unintentionally hitting a teacher with a bean bag chair.
The proposed legislation would make expulsions mandatory only in cases of students bringing a firearm to school and would amend school discipline codes to distinguish minor infractions from violations that need police involvement. The proposal would also direct school boards to create discipline codes that limit suspensions and expulsions to cases where a student’s conduct threatens school safety.
The Legislature created the panel this year to determine whether policy changes are needed.
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