Committee carries over bill clarifying expulsions for firearms and considering new category for threats

The Senate Education Committee carried over S.416 after extended discussion about how school discipline rules treat students who bring firearms to school and whether written or electronic threats should be placed in the same statutory framework.

Donna Barton, research director, summarized the bill’s changes: it would align and clarify the existing code that governs general school expulsions and that specific section addressing firearms; require a one‑year expulsion for bringing a firearm to school measured from the date of the incident; require hearings before the district board of trustees for that offense (the board could still modify the one‑year requirement on a case‑by‑case basis); and remove an unrelated minor lottery‑ticket provision that had been misplaced in the code.

Why it matters: Sponsors and staff said gun offenses in schools merit distinct treatment and direct board involvement because of the severity. Committee members debated strict liability language, the role of superintendent reductions, whether transfers within a district should be permitted in lieu of expulsion, and whether threatening communications should be added to the statute.

Threats and an additional category

Staff presented proposed language (from a stakeholder group) that would create a separate category for knowingly and willfully…