The Board of Education, cognizant of its responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment wherein students can learn, has set forth and established a policy prohibiting dangerous instruments and weapons in school. No student shall possess upon school premises any weapon, which shall include but is not limited to, any dangerous instruments, firearm, dangerous chemical, or explosive device. No student shall bring on school premises or have in his/her possession any bullets or any other projectile.
For the purpose of this policy, a firearm is any weapon, including a starter gun, which will, or is designed to, or may readily be converted to, expel a projectile by the action of an explosive, the frame or receiver of such weapon; any firearm muffler or silencer; or any destructive device.
A weapon is defined as any instrument capable of inflicting bodily harm, included within the definition of weapon, but not intended as a limitation on the definition, are stun guns, gravity knives, switchblade knives, pilum ballistic knives, box cutters, cane swords, electronic dart games, chukka sticks, and martial arts stars. The aforestated enumeration of weapons is not intended to be exhaustive but merely illustrative. Dangerous instruments are defined as items or implements which, under the circumstances in which such instruments are used, attempted to be used, or threatened to be used, are readily capable of inflicting bodily harm.
School premises shall mean school grounds, buildings and/ or facilities, whether owned by the School District or leased to the School District and shall also include school buses. An exception to the prohibition set forth in this policy may be made with prior approval and arrangements with the principal, in an instance where a weapon is part of a dramatic music performance, or it is used as an artifact in an instrumental unit.
New York State peace officers and police officers are the only individuals permitted upon school premises to have a weapon, dangerous instrument or firearm in their possession. Any student found in possession of a weapon, as defined above, will have his/her parents notified immediately of this possession and will be reported to the police for appropriate action.
After a hearing pursuant to New York State Education Law 3214, any student having been found guilty of bringing a firearm upon school premises shall, as a penalty, be suspended for a period of one year, provided that the Superintendent, after considering the totality of the circumstances surrounding the offense, and the student’s previous record, shall have the authority to modify the one year penalty on a case-by-case basis. Nothing in the subparagraph shall be construed as a limitation upon the discretionary power of the Superintendent to recommend or impose disciplinary penalties in regard to any infraction of this policy which involves possession of dangerous instruments or weapons which are not firearms. Further, nothing in the policy shall be construed to limit any rights possessed by students classified as disabled.