How States Are Strengthening School Threat and Violence Laws

This article, originally published on 7/24/26, was last updated on 8/5/26, to include recent school safety legislation enacted in South Carolina.

School safety laws continue to evolve as states respond to concerns ranging from school threats and assaults against school employees to firearms on campus. Recent legislation in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina illustrates how states are updating requirements for threat response, disciplinary procedures, student due process, and coordination with law enforcement.

Although the laws address different issues, both may require districts to review existing policies and procedures to ensure they align with new state requirements.

Alabama Expands Requirements for Responding to School Threats

Beginning July 1, Alabama's new school safety law establishes additional requirements for responding to credible school threats. Among other provisions, students charged with making a school threat must generally be removed from the regular classroom while the case is pending. Before returning, they may be required to complete a mental health evaluation and participate in a due process hearing, depending on the circumstances.

The law also increases penalties for certain school threat offenses and allows courts to order restitution for emergency response costs associated with false threats. Supporters say the legislation is intended to improve consistency in how schools respond while emphasizing both accountability and appropriate intervention.

While Alabama's new law establishes legal requirements following a credible threat, many districts already use behavioral threat assessment teams to evaluate concerning behavior, assess risk, and determine appropriate interventions before and after a threat is reported.

Kentucky Strengthens Protections for School Employees

Kentucky recently took a different approach, focusing on violence directed at school personnel. Senate Bill 101 requires school districts to adopt policies calling for the expulsion of students in grades 6–12 for at least one year if they intentionally assault or attempt to physically injure a school employee on school property or during a school-sponsored activity. The law also requires school employees to immediately report qualifying incidents to law enforcement and streamlines the disciplinary process in many districts.

The legislation establishes new expectations for district policies, reporting, and disciplinary procedures involving assaults against school employees. As districts implement the law, they may need to review board policies, reporting procedures, staff training, and coordination with law enforcement.

Tennessee Increases Penalties for School Threats

Tennessee also recently strengthened its response to school threats. As of July 1, knowingly making a threat of mass violence against a school, child care agency, preschool, or place of worship is now a Class E felony, increasing the criminal penalties for individuals who make threats that disrupt schools and require emergency responses.

South Carolina Revises Threat and Expulsion Requirements

South Carolina's new school safety law updates how districts respond to both firearms on campus and credible threats of violence. The legislation gives school boards greater discretion when students unknowingly bring a firearm onto school property, allowing districts to consider whether the student intentionally possessed the weapon before imposing a mandatory expulsion.

The law also establishes new requirements for responding to credible threats involving weapons. School boards may expel a student for up to one academic year if they knowingly and willfully make a credible threat to use a weapon against another student or school employee. Before ordering an expulsion, the board must determine that the threat disrupted the school environment and that the student appeared capable of carrying it out.

The legislation expands due process protections for students assigned to alternative schools by requiring a hearing for students and their parents or guardians before the transfer is finalized.

Violence Against Educators Remains a Significant Concern

Recent research helps provide context for the growing legislative focus on threats and assaults against school personnel. A 2024 national study led by researchers from DePaul University and the American Psychological Association (APA) found that violence and aggression against educators rebounded after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, in many cases reaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Among teachers surveyed after pandemic restrictions ended, 80% reported experiencing verbal or threatening aggression from students at least once during the school year, while 56% reported physical violence from students.

Federal data also show that student aggression is not limited to high schools. During the 2020–21 school year, 8% of elementary public school teachers reported being threatened with injury by a student, compared with 4% of secondary teachers. Seven percent of elementary teachers reported being physically attacked, compared with 1% of secondary teachers.

The data underscore both the seriousness of violence against educators and the importance of early intervention. With elementary teachers reporting higher rates of threats and physical attacks than secondary teachers, schools may need systems in place from the earliest grades to help students develop emotional regulation, manage anger and frustration, resolve conflicts, and access behavioral or mental health supports when concerns arise.

Prevention Still Happens Before a Crisis

While recent legislation focuses on how schools respond after threats or acts of violence occur, some educators and researchers caution that disciplinary consequences alone are unlikely to prevent future incidents. They argue that prevention efforts—including behavioral threat assessment, early intervention, school-based mental health services, behavioral supports, and strong relationships between students and trusted adults—remain essential components of school safety.

Many districts continue investing in behavioral threat assessment and early intervention to identify concerning behavior, assess risk, and connect students with appropriate supports before situations escalate.

Protecting School Personnel Requires a Broader Approach

Recent legislation has largely focused on student threats and assaults, but school personnel may also encounter aggression from parents, guardians, and other members of the public.

A recent study from The Ohio State University found that school administrators reported experiencing verbal and threatening aggression from parents more frequently than teachers or school mental health professionals. The researchers suggested these findings highlight the importance of having clear procedures for documenting incidents, supporting employees, and responding to aggressive behavior from parents or other members of the public.

Although the laws take different approaches, they illustrate how states continue to refine expectations for responding to school threats, violence, weapons on campus, and assaults against school personnel.

As districts review new legal requirements, many are also continuing to strengthen behavioral threat assessment, early intervention, and other processes designed to identify concerns and support appropriate responses.