Post-Columbine School Discipline Rules Revisited
DENVER (AP) -- School discipline policies adopted after the 1999 Columbine High School shootings are getting a second look in Colorado.
Lawmakers will consider a bill Thursday aimed at giving education officials more discretion over expulsions and police referrals. The goal is to eliminate zero-tolerance policies that lawmakers say have led to mandatory expulsions for bringing a fake gun to school or getting into a minor scuffle.
Supporters of the legislation say the Columbine shootings and other high-profile cases of youth violence caused lawmakers and school administrators to overreact. About 100,000 students in Colorado have been referred to police during the last decade.
Republican Sen. Keith King says he supports the idea of eliminating zero-tolerance policies but opposes the bill because he says it's too prescriptive.
A Senate committee is hearing the bill.
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