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Education

Crackdown on Student Threats

Tennessee’s Harsh Punishment of Kids

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.

Crackdown on Student Threats

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 kids.

by Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, and Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio,

First Came the Warning Signs. Then a Teen Opened Fire on a Nashville School.

by Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, and Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio,

How Many Students Have Been Expelled Under Tennessee’s School Threats Law? There’s No Clear Answer.

by Aliyya Swaby,

Two Families Sue After 11-Year-Old and 13-Year-Old Students Were Arrested Under Tennessee’s School Threat Law

by Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, and Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio,

A 13-Year-Old With Autism Got Arrested After His Backpack Sparked Fear. Only His Stuffed Bunny Was Inside.

by Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, and Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio,

Georgia’s Top GOP Lawmaker Seeks Tougher Action Against Students Who Make Threats. But It May Not Make Schools Safer.

by Aliyya Swaby,

A 10-Year-Old Pointed a Finger Gun. The Principal Kicked Him Out of His Tennessee School for a Year.

by Aliyya Swaby,

Tennessee Is Ramping Up Penalties for Student Threats. Research Shows That’s Not the Best Way to Keep Schools Safe.

by Aliyya Swaby,