Gun Would Bring Student Year’s Suspension

Senate Democrats on Monday proposed a one-year suspension of any student who packs a gun to school.

The bill would bring the state into compliance with a new federal law.

Officials say nearly 2,300 weapons were brought onto school grounds in Washington state last year, including 350 firearms.

The bill, SB5440, would allow school districts to serve expelled students through alternative programs away from other students. The measure also would give local superintendents authority to change the expulsion time on a case-by-case basis.

Another measure, SB5170, would require juvenile detention centers to notify schools whenever they release a youth who was guilty of a violent, sexual or stalking crime. A third bill, SB5168, would require a private school sending a student back into the public schools to send along that person’s disciplinary records.