The Norwood amendment allows local schools to develop uniform policies in dealing with violence problems caused by students enrolled under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  

IDEA protects disabled students from discrimination by guaranteeing that they have access to the 
same public education resources as other students.  However, recent court decisions have undermined the bill by declaring that IDEA students cannot be disciplined under the same guidelines as other students for committing acts of violence in school, including bringing guns, knives and other weapons. 

Currently, non-IDEA students are expelled for 1 year for bringing guns to school; IDEA students can only be expelled for 55 days for the same offense, and the school system must provide outside education for the student during the period, at taxpayer expense.  

The Norwood amendment gives local schools the flexibility to deal with violence by IDEA students on a case-by-case basis.  If the student’s disciplinary problem is related to their disability, the school can take that into account when determining punishment.  If the disciplinary problem is not related to their disability, the school can apply the same penalties as non-IDEA students.  

"This measure finally brings some common sense to ending school violence, by protecting both our disabled and non-disabled students from the violent acts of the very few who abuse what would otherwise be a good law," says Norwood.  "If kids are afraid of being beaten, stabbed, or shot they certainly aren’t going to be in a frame of mind to learn." 

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