Fairfax County school discipline cases drop

The number of discipline hearings in Fairfax County Public Schools has dropped by 30 percent in the last four years, including a 39 percent decrease in expulsion cases, according to a report from the school system.

School officials say the numbers prove that their campuses are safe despite high-profile discipline cases — including the suicide of a student who was caught with synthetic marijuana. But critics challenge that plenty of work remains to make the discipline system fair to kids.