Uncovering the Truth: How Tennessee’s School Threat Laws Impact Students
In a recent investigation conducted by ProPublica, it was revealed that the state of Tennessee has seen a significant increase in expulsions and arrests of children accused of making threats of mass violence in schools. The investigation was prompted by a mother who reached out to ProPublica after her 10-year-old child was expelled for making a finger gun gesture.
The state had recently implemented laws that heightened penalties for making threats of mass violence at school, including mandatory yearlong expulsions. This led to a wave of expulsions and arrests for children accused of making such threats, sometimes based on rumors and misunderstandings.
Despite efforts to gather data on the number of students affected by these laws, the investigation faced challenges due to public agencies’ refusal to release data. Some school districts claimed that sharing such information would violate student confidentiality or compromise campus security. Others cited state public records laws as a reason for denying data requests.
Inconsistent data reporting by school districts further complicated the investigation, with some districts providing incomplete or inaccurate information. Lawmakers were also unable to assess the effectiveness of the expulsions due to a lack of accurate data on the number of students expelled.
Efforts to obtain accurate data from the state’s Department of Education also faced challenges, with reporting errors leading to discrepancies in the number of expulsions confirmed. The Department of Education has since stated that they are training districts on how to accurately report their data.
As the legislative session in Tennessee continues, efforts are being made to address the challenges in tracking threats of mass violence in schools. The responsibility of tracking such threats has been passed on to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, although the data collected is currently considered confidential.
Overall, the investigation highlights the complexities and challenges in obtaining accurate data on school expulsions and arrests related to threats of mass violence in Tennessee. Efforts are ongoing to improve data reporting and ensure transparency in tracking such incidents.