Horrific events such as the fatal shooting of three high school students in Chardon, Ohio, in the winter of 2012 places tremendous pressure on state and local agencies to ensure that schools provide a safe and conducive learning environment for all students. To help curb school violence, schools have adopted zero-tolerance policies, which often…

Zero-tolerance policies have a short yet prolific history in American schools. Originally developed by the U.S. Customs Agency, zero tolerance was intended to target a rapidly growing drug trade. Most schools began adopting these policies in response to The Gun Free Schools Act of 1994. This mandate requires all state education agencies to develop…

The "Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994" ("GFSA") was reauthorized by Section 4141 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as amended by the "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001" (Public Law 107-110). "GFSA" requires that each state or outlying area receiving federal funds under the ESEA…