States use statute and regulations to specify which behaviors "must" result in a student being suspended or expelled, with varying degrees of discretion allowed at local levels. This data point captures the offenses for which students must be suspended or expelled. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia must suspend students for firearms/weapons possession. Assault and possession/sale/use of controlled substances were the next most common offenses for which students must be suspended or expelled. This document is part of the "50-State Comparison: School Discipline Policies" that provides much-needed context for considerations of school discipline by outlining current state statute and regulations in an easily accessible format. [View the full "50-State Comparison: School Discipline Policies" here: https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-school-discipline-policies/.]