There needs to be a bunch of new state laws that try to put some common sense back into schools.
1) Require schools to distinguish between real, tangible threats and imaginary ones, prohibiting punishment for the latter, be it a tiny toy gun or a Pop-Tart shaped like a gun, a child’s finger, a plastic butter knife, etc.
2) Make all “zero tolerance” policies subject to the judgment of principals. If no harm was intended or likely, there should be no discipline for a child.
3) Schools can only request police support when a child is engaged in behavior likely to harm themselves or others, and cannot be controlled by the faculty or administration.
4) Lawsuits against schools can only be made after asserting physical abuse, or neglect resulting in injury, for actual damages.
I don’t know if you can legislate common sense, especially with school administrators.
It is sad that we would have to propose a law that school employees learn the difference between a pop tart and a handgun.