Wednesday, May 19, 2004

School district OKs policy revisions

Weapons restriction rules made more manageable

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By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

The Blaine County School Board voted, Tuesday, May 11, to approve revisions to the Blaine County School Policy. These revisions include the wording in the Personal Leave and Military Leave sections, Vacation and Paid Holidays, Grading and Reporting, Code of Ethics, appearances at Board Meetings, as well as changes to a section in Behavior and Discipline on weapons.

The "Zero Tolerance" restriction was revised to concur with the Gun Free School Act of 1994. After the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, the term "Zero Tolerance" was added into school policies across the country.

However, rewording of the restriction on weapons in school was deemed appropriate since there have been previous instances involving non-weapons. For example, under the "Zero Tolerance" policy very young students bringing toys to school could have been expelled.

The Policy Committee comprised several administrators and school principals.

"We pretty well scrutinized it to death," Blaine County School District Superintendent Jim Lewis said.

The revision states that "Students are forbidden to knowingly and/or voluntarily possess, handle, transmit or use a firearm, dirk knife, bowie knife, dagger, metal knuckles or other deadly or dangerous weapon while on school property, in any school vehicle or at any school sponsored activity."

It goes on to state that possession of any of the above weapons will result in a recommendation to the Board for expulsion for no less than one year.

It also states that anyone who was expelled from another district will not be admitted prior to the end of the expulsion year.

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