Judge tosses expulsion of student who warned friends about shooting threat
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A Cobb County judge has overturned the expulsion of a student who shared a threatening message after the Apalachee High School tragedy.
Why it matters: The ruling found there was no evidence the student "intentionally created" a disruption to the learning environment, said the student's attorney, Michael Tafelski, of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
- Judge Robert Leonard also ruled that the Cobb County Board of Education misinterpreted and improperly enforced its policy on school disruption.
What they're saying: Tafelski told Axios last week that Leonard's ruling was a "plain reading of the board's own policy," which requires them to provide evidence that the student intended to cause disruption at school.
- "Unfortunately, this is just the latest example of Cobb County schools acting contrary to their own policies, acting contrary to law to expel a child for no legitimate reason," he said.
The other side: The Cobb County School District told the AJC it takes threats seriously and "each investigation of hoax threats costs local and district staff extensive time and money and leads to a significant uptick in student absences."
Catch up quick: According to court documents, G.D., who at the time was an eighth-grader at Campbell Middle School, used his district-issued computer on Sept. 6, 2024, to send a message to his friend that "included language involving a school shooting at lunch."
- The district also alleges the student took a screenshot and sent the same message to other students, and "that his intentional actions created a major disruption at school."
- The Cobb school board found he violated the district's policy and expelled him for the rest of the 2024-25 school year. The State Board of Education upheld the local board's ruling earlier this year.
- That ruling was then appealed to the Cobb Superior Court, and Leonard's decision was issued Oct. 31.
Zoom in: Tafelski said that while the district admitted G.D. did not write the message, it said G.D. intended to create "chaos and panic" when he shared it.
- Tafelski told Axios G.D. shared the message because he feared the threat would be carried out since it came two days after the Apalachee shooting.
- G.D. signed a statement apologizing for sharing the message and stated he was just trying to warn his friends, Tafelski said.
- In the two weeks after the Apalachee shooting, more than 100 students faced criminal charges stemming from threats made weeks after the Apalachee shooting, according to the AJC.
Context: An analysis of school district records by SPLC found the Cobb school district disproportionately suspends and expels students of color and students with disabilities, the nonprofit said in a press release.
What we're watching: Tafelski said the district has 30 days from the Oct. 31 local decision date to appeal the ruling to the Georgia Court of Appeals.