Conferees Adopt Policy on Guns for School Funding

House and Senate negotiators agreed Friday to require one-year suspensions of students who bring guns to school, but to drop a provision in existing law that automatically cuts off funds to school districts that don’t have such a policy.

The compromise came as the negotiators sought to settle differences between the House and Senate versions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization. The measure authorizes nearly $13 billion; current law expires Friday.

A major sticking point is the formula for distributing money to aid educationally disadvantaged children, who tend to be poor. House and Senate staffers planned to work through the weekend in an attempt to reach a compromise.

The Senate version of the legislation included a provision requiring school boards to establish policies opposing guns in school and mandated a one-year expulsion for students who violate the policy. School boards that didn’t comply would lose their share of ESEA funds. That same provision is included in the Goals 2000 Act, which became law last spring.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Friday that the Senate language is designed to make America’s schools safe. “I have no doubt that this legislation will save youngsters’ lives,” she said. “It will say to parents that schools can be safe.”

The House bill also called for policies against guns in school, but left it to school boards to set the punishment. Supporters of the House version said it correctly left the responsibility for deciding punishment with local school officials.

“I can’t understand why we still want to federalize school discipline,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles).

House negotiators agreed, 15 to 12, to a compromise offered by the Senate. It requires states that receive funds under the act to require local school districts to adopt a mandatory one-year expulsion policy. Local school boards or superintendents could modify the punishment.

Although the bill does not require a cutoff of funds, supporters of the compromise said they expected enforcement to be addressed in Education Department regulations.