SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Weapons Possession Expulsions Plunge

The number of students expelled from the Capistrano Unified School District for possessing weapons fell sharply during the most recent school year, officials said.

Seven students were expelled for violating the school district’s “zero tolerance” policy that forbids any type of weapon--including small pocketknives--during school-sponsored events or on campus, said Rich Johnson, the district’s director of pupil services.

During the previous school year, 33 students were expelled for possessing weapons.

Johnson on Wednesday attributed the decline to several factors. He said the district’s tough policy on weapons, enacted in 1992, has started to show results. Parents are also working harder to make sure their children don’t carry weapons or have access to them, Johnson said.

“We just kind of reflect what’s going on in society,” he said.

During the first year of the “zero tolerance” policy, 13 students were expelled for having weapons, according to the district. Most of the weapons expulsion cases over the past three years involved knives, although three of them were over guns, Johnson said.

Sheila Benecke, the district school board’s vice president, said the policy has become more effective because the district sends home handouts that students and parents must sign.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Armed and Expelled The number of students expelled from the Capistrano Unified School District for possessing weapons has dropped sharply. Expulsions for the past three school years: *

1992-93 * 10 kives * 3 guns*

1993-94 * 29 knives * 2 fireworks * 1 slingshot * 1 pair brass knuckles *

1994-95 * 7 knives Source: Capistrano Unified School District; Researched by JEFF BEAN / For The Times