Expulsions for Weapons in L.A. Schools Decline

The number of Los Angeles students recommended for expulsion for bringing guns and knives to school dropped last year, returning to the level reported before a dramatic jump in 1992-93.

But while the number of high school and middle-school expulsion recommendations fell from the previous school year, the number for all offenses among elementary school students stayed the same in 1993-94, according to a review of expulsions in the Los Angeles Unified School District obtained Thursday by The Times.

The review shows that the number of students recommended for expulsion for all offenses, including weapons, drugs, vandalism, assault and other reasons, dropped to 800 from 936 the year before--a 15% reduction.

The numbers had climbed by one-third in the previous half-dozen years, from 697 in 1986-87 to 936 in 1992-93. Weapon possessions continue to be the single most common reason for expulsion.

The fall in the number of weapons-related expulsions has raised hopes that campus violence--and students’ fear of it--may be declining, district officials said.

In the San Fernando Valley over the last two years, the number of students recommended for expulsion has remained about the same.

In Julie Korenstein’s school board district, which includes most of the Valley, 109 students were recommended for expulsion in the in 1993-94 school year compared to 107 in 1992-93.

In board President Mark Slavkin’s district, which includes parts of the northwest Valley, the number of students recommended for expulsion fell from 181 in 1992-93 to 137 in the 1993-94 school year.

Among the report’s main findings:

* The number of students recommended by school principals for expulsion increased 34% from 697 in 1986-87 to 936 in 1992-93.

* More middle school students--94--were expelled last year for bringing guns to school than were high school students, who accounted for 75 expulsions.

* Expulsion referrals for elementary school students jumped from eight in 1986-87 to 54 in 1993-94. Most of those were students who carried knives or guns to school.

* The number of students who were kicked out of the school district--known as straight expulsions--increased significantly during the eight-year period, from 17 in 1986-87 to 166 in 1993-94.

* Most students whose principals recommended them for expulsion were transferred to alternative campuses within the district--a trend that has remained fairly constant during the eight years, from 494 in 1986-87 to 404 in 1993-94.

District officials said the escalating numbers of children who bring weapons and violence to school mirrors the troubles in their own communities.

“It’s a reflection of what’s going on in society,” said Hector Madrigal, the district’s director of student discipline proceedings, who wrote the report. “Kids are acting up more seriously and administrators in turn are feeling the need to take stronger action.”

While the Board of Education strengthened its expulsion policy three times in as many years, the report shows that the majority of students whose principals recommend them for expulsion are transferred to a different campus rather than being expelled outright from the district.

The district’s expulsion policy requires students--regardless of their age--to be expelled for bringing firearms--even replica or toy guns--to school. Students who are caught with knives or drugs typically are assigned to alternative campuses.

The report shows that 53 students were actually expelled from the district in 1986-87, a period when 92 students were caught with guns. But 166 students were expelled outright in 1993-94 when 191 students had guns on campus. Not all students are expelled because their cases were dropped for a variety of reasons, including in some cases expiration of the time limit for making a decision. Others became involved in criminal activity and were no longer in school.

Students caught with knives are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The report shows that 139 students were caught with knives in 1986-87 compared to 229 in 1993-94.

Principals initially make the expulsion recommendations and a hearing is held with a district panel. Ultimately, the school board reviews each expulsion referral and makes the final decision on the case.

Students are recommended for expulsion for bringing weapons or drugs to campus, for vandalism or for assaulting or threatening to assault either students or school staff members.

Board member Jeff Horton, who requested the expulsion data and who opposes expelling students under 16, said he believes the alternative programs often are the best places for these students, many of whom do not have prior discipline problems.

“We just put a kid out on the street with nothing to do . . . it’s just asking them to hang out with gang members or with kids who have dropped out,” Horton said. “It’s bad for the neighborhoods and it’s bad for the kids. I think we need to take more steps to reduce the problem.”

To that end, the board recently stipulated in Supt. Sid Thompson’s new contract that crimes on school campuses that lead to expulsions should be reduced by 5%.

“We’re saying this is important and that there should be specific help for specific kids who are getting into trouble,” said board President Slavkin. “To me, the missing piece has been prevention.”

Board member Barbara Boudreaux said she believes the policy needs to be even tougher so that students caught with knives are expelled outright rather than being transferred within the system. “Knives, guns, firecrackers, any kind of weapons . . . should have expulsion attached to it,” Boudreaux said. “Guns are not the only weapons that can kill.”

District officials said the alternative campuses--such as continuation schools--provide smaller classes and more individualized attention. “We’re not always talking about kids with hard-core criminal records--many of them are decent kids who are making errors in judgment,” Madrigal said. “Basically, we’re giving them another chance to demonstrate they can be rehabilitated.”

Over the past two years, the district has instituted a variety of measures to curb guns and weapons on campus. Following two fatal shootings last year, the district began requiring administrators to conduct daily, random searches for guns and weapons using metal detectors. A confidential telephone tip line was created and posters advertising the board policy on expulsions were prominently displayed on school campuses.

The decline in expulsion referrals last year has provided some officials with hope that the trend could be reversing. “It’s too early to reach conclusions,” Madrigal said. “But hopefully these messages and signals are curbing some of these incidents. The awareness of the penalties has gone up.”

Students Expelled

The number of students in LAUSD schools in the Valley recommended for expulsion for carrying weapons during the 1993-94 school year:

Elementary:

School Weapon (Guns) Weapon (Knives) Broadous 0 1 Chandler 1 0 Harding 0 1 Hubbard 0 1 Morningside 0 2 San Fernando 1 0 Saticoy 0 1 Sunny Brae 0 1 Victory 0 1

Middle School:

School Weapon (Guns) Weapon (Knives) Byrd 1 1 Frost 1 3 Fulton 2 3 Hale 0 1 Henry 0 1 Lawrence 6 2 Maclay 1 4 Millikan 1 0 Nobel 1 0 Olive Vista 2 0 Pacoima 0 1 Parkman 1 1 Porter 1 2 Reed 2 1 Sepulveda 2 2 Sutter 0 4 Van Nuys 3 0

Senior High:

School Weapon (Guns) Weapon (Knives) Birmingham 3 3 Canoga Park 1 0 Chatsworth 2 9 Cleveland 0 2 El Camino Real 1 5 Francis Poly 1 0 Granada Hills 2 6 Grant 2 0 Kennedy 0 1 Monroe 2 1 Reseda 1 1 San Fernando 1 0 Taft 3 4 Verdugo Hills 0 2

Other:

School Weapon (Guns) Weapon (Knives) Nobel Fund Center 1 0 Sherman Oaks CES 1 1

Sources: Los Angeles Unified School District