— In Illinois, the Appellate Court of Illinois reversed the lower court, upholding the right of a school board to expel a student for one year after school officials discovered a pellet gun in his backpack. The student challenged the decision, asserting state law that requires school administrators to try alternative interventions wherever possible rather than suspensions or expulsions. The lower court, applying state law, held that school officials “had not exhausted all appropriate and available interventions and that the District had impermissibly applied a zero-tolerance policy.” The appellate court reversed, noting that “the disciplining of students is generally not the province of courts and is a matter that is normally left to the sound discretion of school officials and school boards.” Moreover, “whether a student’s ongoing presence poses a safety threat or would impede the operation of the school shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by school officials.” Finally, the appellate court reasoned that “it is entirely reasonable for the school officials to have taken the national school shooting landscape into consideration when deciding (the student’s) discipline… That analysis would logically include a consideration of the effect of (the student’s) presence on his classmates and their educational environment… Given the prevalence of school shootings in this country, it would be natural for (the student’s) fellow students to be wary and concerned about the presence of someone who brought a lookalike gun to school.” A.A. by & through Pasillas v. Board of Education, Summit Sch. Dist. No. 104
— Nationally, the Trump administration disbanded The Federal School Safety Clearinghouse, assembled during the first Trump administration to serve as a resource on best practices to protect students. Members on the Board included “school safety experts, alongside the parents of children who died in school shootings, advocates for civil rights and disability rights, superintendents, and leaders of organizations that represent[ed] school and district administrators.”
— In Michigan, new school safety laws require schools to have a behavior threat assessment and management team. House Bill 5549 creates a new state commission on school safety and mental health, and adds new rules to make sure schools are able to respond effectively to safety threats.
— In Georgia, “Governor Brian Kemp announced this week that he will request an additional $50 million in state grants to improve security in Georgia schools, bringing the total funding for the current fiscal year to $158 million. The added funding aims to enhance safety measures in schools across the state, following heightened concerns after a tragic shooting at Apalachee High School last year.”