NCJ Number
198357
Date Published
July 2002
Length
146 pages
Annotation
This final report presents summarized information from States/territories on the implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSC) during the 1999-2000 school year.
Abstract
The Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) requires each State/territory, receiving Federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), to have a State law requiring all local educational agencies in the State/territory to expel from school, for at least 1 year any student found bringing a firearm to school. The GFSA also requires each State/territory to report information about the implementation of the GFSA annually to the Secretary of Education. This annual report includes information on: (1) the number of students expelled by type of firearm and school level; (2) the number of expulsions that were modified, case-by-case; (3) the number of modified cases that were not for students with disabilities; and (4) the number of expelled students who were referred to an alternative school or program. The report is divided into four sections: summary of overall findings, summary of the 1999-2000 data and a comparison between previous years, a data page dedicated to each State/territory, and appendices. Summary findings include: (1) overall, 55 States/territories reported under the GFSA for the 1999-2000 school year with a total of 2,837 students expelled for bringing a firearm to school; (2) 57 percent of the expulsions by school level were students in high school, 31 percent in junior high, and 12 percent in elementary school; (3) 60 percent of the expulsions by firearm were for bringing a handgun to school, 10 percent for bringing a rifle or shotgun to school, and 30 percent for some other type of firearm; (4) 27 percent of expulsions were shortened to less than 1 year; (5) 68 percent of shortened expulsions were for students who were not considered disabled; and (6) 42 percent of the expelled students were referred to an alternative school or program. Appendices A-B