Minnesota students returning to classes last week likely will face a different expulsion policy should they bring weapons to school.
A recent ruling by Minnesota’s supreme court now requires schools to investigate a student’s intent when weapons that aren’t firearms show up in school. In order to expel a student, the school must determine that the student willfully violated school policy on weapons.
The court’s decision stems from a lawsuit brought by a United South Central High School student who was expelled for inadvertently bringing a knife to the Wells, Minn., school in 2014.
Local residents pray during a candlelight vigil following a shooting at Perry High School, on Jan. 4, 2024, in Perry, Iowa. The deaths in school shootings last year have led to new legislation in a half-dozen states.
Naomi Tolentino leads a meeting on student attendance at J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas. Tolentino showed school administrators recent data reflecting positive progress in combating chronic absenteeism.
Naomi Tolentino walks into J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025, in Kansas City, Kan. Tolentino is the coordinator for student support programs and often visits school administrative teams to check on their progress in lowering chronic absenteeism among their students.
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