A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

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News Media Contact: Melinda Kitchell Malico (202) 401-1576
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MORE THAN 6,000 STUDENTS NATIONWIDE EXPELLED FOR BRINGING A FIREARM TO SCHOOL

 In school year 1996-97, the U.S. Department of Education estimates that, under zero tolerance policies, 6,093 students were expelled from public schools for bringing a firearm to school, according to the Report of State Implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act - School Year 1996-97: Final Report 1998, released today.

"This report is a clear indication that our nation's public schools are cracking down on students who bring guns to school," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "We need to be tough minded about keeping guns out of our schools and do everything possible to keep our children safe."

The Gun-Free Schools Act, signed into law in 1994, requires states to pass laws ordering school districts to expel for one year any student who brings a firearm to school. All states have passed such laws and this report is the first state-by-state look at the implementation of the act.

The overwhelming majority of expulsions under the law -- 58 percent -- were for handguns brought to school. Seven percent were for rifles or shotguns, and 35 percent were for some other type of firearm; including bombs, grenades, or starter pistols. Forty-seven states and territories reported this data by state.

"I urge schools to do everything possible to make sure that expelled students are sent to alternative schools," said Riley. "A student who gets expelled for bringing a gun to school should not be allowed to just hang out on the street. These young people need to get their lives turned around."

The department notes the report's findings should be interpreted with caution. Some states submitted data on all weapons, not firearms. Others submitted aggregate data not broken out by school level and/or type of weapon. Data collection is improving since implementation of the law, but the quality of data on expulsions varies widely state-to-state.

Guns prompted expulsions in all levels of schools. The majority of expulsions, 56 percent, were in high schools, 34 percent were in junior highs and 9 percent were in elementary schools. More than two-thirds of all reported expulsions were reported by school level, with 49 states and territories reporting this data.

States must submit annual reports on the number of students expelled by firearm type and school level; the number of expulsions that were modified on a case-by-case basis; how many of those cases were not for students with disabilities; and the number of expelled students who were referred to an alternative school or program. The report includes state-by-state data for these categories; however, not all states and territories submitted data for each category.

Other findings from the report include:

• One-third of expulsions were shortened to less than one year, with 43 states and territories reporting this data. The law permits flexibility by allowing school districts to modify the expulsion requirement on a case-by-case basis.

• 39 states reported on the disability status of the students who received shortened expulsions, revealing that 63 percent of these students were not considered disabled.

• 56 percent of students were referred for an alternative placement. The Gun Free Schools Act allows local officials to refer expelled students to an alternative school or program. Forty states reported information for this item.

 The Gun Free Schools Act is authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as amended in 1994. The data covers students in grades K-12.

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