| The federal government, through the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 (GFSA), required states to enact zero tolerance legislation mandating school districts to expel students automatically for a period of one year if they brought weapons to school. Under threat of losing federal education dollars, states complied. In turn, school districts developed disciplinary policies that reflected state mandates. In Virginia, as in other states, concern has mounted that application of these policies sometimes results in inequitable and nonsensical treatment of children. In this paper, the evolution of zero tolerance policies is traced from their progenitor, the GFSA, to the school district level. Utilizing Virginia as an example for the emergent case law, this article illustrates the debate on zero tolerance consequences among which may deny students access to schooling and ultimately development as reflective members of a democratic society. |