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

FOR RELEASE
August 10, 1999

Contact:
Melinda Kitchell Malico
(202) 401-1008

EXPULSIONS OF STUDENTS WHO BROUGHT GUNS TO SCHOOL DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY

In U.S. public K-12 schools, 3,930 students were expelled for bringing a firearm to school in school year 1997-98, the U.S. Department of Education reported today. The number is down 31 percent from the previous year's reported figure of 5,724.

The new findings are published in the Report of State Implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act - School Year 1997-98: Final Report 1999.

"The Gun-Free Schools Act aims to tighten up school safety by making sure that students understand that there are serious consequences if they bring a gun to school," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "We cannot compromise the safety of the millions of students who do obey the rules -- by allowing those who don't to remain in the same classrooms. Strong consequences for unacceptable behavior can and do make a difference.

"This new and promising data, coupled with last week's findings from the Centers for Disease Control, shows that fewer young people are carrying guns or taking them into schools. This is good news coupled with the fact that the overall rate of school violence is down. But communities need to continue to use comprehensive approaches to keeping schools, students and educators safe. And they need to focus on critical school reform issues such as smaller class size, smaller schools, modern classrooms, well-trained teachers and challenging standards."

The Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 requires states to pass laws requiring school districts to expel any student who brings a firearm to school. All states have passed such laws and this report is the second state-by-state look at implementation of the federal law.

The overwhelming majority of the expulsions -- 62 percent -- were for handguns brought to school. Seven percent were for rifles or shotguns, and 31 percent were for some other type of firearm; including bombs, grenades or starter pistols. Fifty states and two territories reported this data by state. Guns prompted expulsions in all school levels. Most expulsions, 57 percent, were in high schools, 33 percent were in junior highs and 10 percent were in elementary schools. These data were reported by school level in 50 states and three territories.

The department has published an Annual Report on School Safety and an Early Warning Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools to help states and communities head off school violence through comprehensive prevention and intervention programs.

Riley also noted that schools must continue to address the needs of troubled students: "After removing violators from schools, educators must do everything possible to help expelled students reach the high standards that are expected of all students. A student who gets expelled for bringing a gun to school should not be left to just hang out on the street. To help young people get their lives back on track, communities should work towards offering counseling and alternative learning opportunities."

The Educational Excellence for All Children Act of 1999, President Clinton's proposal to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), asks school districts to develop equitable discipline policies and hold schools accountable for their policies. If a student is expelled, states should assure that schools provide for appropriate supervision, counseling and educational services to help students reach high standards, the administration proposed in the legislation.

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:

• 44 percent of expulsions were shortened to less than one year, with 49 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;
  

• 48 states reported on the disability status of the students who received shortened expulsions, revealing that 62 percent of these students were not considered disabled; and,

• 48 states reported that 43 percent of the expelled students were referred for an alternative placement.

The findings contained in the report should be interpreted with caution, as some states submitted data on all weapons, not just firearms, while 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. Following corrected data submissions by states, the previously reported total figure for expulsions in 1996-97 was adjusted from 6,093 to 5724.

The Gun-Free Schools Act is authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as amended in 1994. States and districts jeopardize loss of all ESEA funds if they do not enforce complementary state laws.

The report will be available by calling 1-877-4ED-PUBS or through the department's web site at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/news.html.

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