In light of the Minnesota Court of Appeals decision Monday overturning the United South Central School Board’s expulsion of a student last year, we can’t help but ask what local school districts have learned from this incident.

The Court of Appeals found that Alyssa Drescher, who was nearing the end of her junior year at the time of her expulsion, did not willfully violate her school’s policy when she brought a pocketknife to school in April 2014. School officials found the knife in a random drug search April 15, 2014. Drescher said she accidentally left the knife in her purse after a day of cutting hay bales at her boyfriend’s home a few days before.

While we agree that Drescher should have received some form of punishment for having the knife at the school in the first place — whether intentional or not — we don’t think it needed to be to the extent it was.

What is a weapon?

In the USC policy on weapons, a weapon is considered to be any kind of gun or any device that is designed as a weapon or that could be used to threaten or bring about great bodily harm or death.

The policy lists examples of weapons: guns, knives, clubs, metal knuckles, numchucks, throwing stars, explosives, stun guns, ammunition, incendiary devices and shocking devices.

In the Albert Lea Area Schools policy, a weapon is classified as “any object used in a threatening manner.” This could include even an object that looks like a gun, a pocketknife or ammunition.

What the policies are not clear on is the consequences — particularly in Albert Lea.

At USC, the policy states the possession of a weapon results in an initial suspension for three to five days, confiscation of the weapon, contact with police and a recommendation to the superintendent that the student be expelled.

In Albert Lea, the policy states possession of a weapon in violation “could result in suspension, expulsion and police involvement.”

This is not clearly defined and should be expanded so there is no question what consequences there may be if a student violates the policy.

We recognize that situations that arise will be each be different, but to eliminate questions and potential issues in the future, it would be wise to better define these parts of the policy.