A bill to scale back strict Columbine-era school discipline policies cleared the first hurdle in the Colorado Senate, but it’s got a ways to go with lawmakers who think the legislation tries to do too much.
The proposal sponsored by Democratic Sens. Linda Newell and Evie Hudak seeks to eliminate zero-tolerance policies that sometimes prompt mandatory expulsions for minor offenses. The bill also tries to give school administrators more discretion over student discipline.
Supporters of the bill say lawmakers and school officials overreacted in the wake of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, in which two students killed 13 people and then themselves. About 100,000 Colorado students have been referred to police since then.
