Crackdown on Student Threats
Tennessee’s Harsh Punishment of *****
Students in Tennessee are being kicked out of school and arrested on felony charges, sometimes because of rumors and misunderstandings. Experts say there’s little evidence that zero-tolerance laws make schools safer.
An 11-Year-Old Denied Making a Threat and Was Allowed to Return to School. Tennessee Police Arrested Him Anyway.
A state law makes threats of mass violence at school a felony, even if they’re not credible. Judges and school officials say the law unnecessarily traumatizes *****.
Highlights From This Series
Sept. 25, 2024
Junior, an 11-year-old, is accused of making a threat at school, which he denies. Officials let him go home with his mom. Hours later, a deputy tracks him down at a family dinner at a LongHorn Steakhouse, cuffing him in the parking lot.
Aug. 8, 2024
Ty, a 13-year-old with autism, is arrested, charged with a felony and detained for telling a teacher not to look in his backpack because the school would blow up. Ty later explains that he was trying to protect the stuffed bunny inside.
September 2023
Lee, a 10-year-old fifth grader in East Tennessee, is accused by fellow students of pointing a finger gun. The school expels him for a year for making a threat of mass violence.
