(2) Each district school board shall adopt written policies for the discipline, suspension or expulsion of any refractory student. The policies:
(b) Must require consideration of the age of a student and the past pattern of behavior of a student prior to imposing the suspension or expulsion of a student.
(c) Must limit the use of expulsion to the following circumstances:
(A) For conduct that poses a threat to the health or safety of students or school employees;
(B) When other strategies to change student conduct have been ineffective, except that expulsion may not be used to address truancy; or
(C) When the expulsion is required by law.
(d) In addition to any limitations imposed by paragraph (c) of this subsection, for a student who is in fifth grade or lower, must limit the use of out-of-school suspension or of expulsion to the following circumstances:
(A) For nonaccidental conduct causing serious physical harm to a student or school employee;
(B) When a school administrator determines, based upon the administrator's observation or upon a report from a school employee, that the student's conduct poses a direct threat to the health or safety of students or school employees; or
(C) When the suspension or expulsion is required by law.
(e) When an out-of-school suspension is imposed as provided under paragraph (d) of this subsection, must require the school district to take steps to prevent the recurrence of the behavior that led to the out-of-school suspension and return the student to a classroom setting so that the disruption of the student's academic instruction is minimized.
(f) Must be limited so that:
(A) The duration of an expulsion may not be more than one calendar year.
(B) The duration of a suspension may not be more than 10 school days.
(g) Notwithstanding ORS 336.010, may require a student to attend school during nonschool hours as an alternative to suspension if the total number of hours does not exceed the equivalent of 10 school days.
(7) Each district school board shall adopt a written policy involving firearms, as defined in 18 U.S.C. 921. The policy shall:
(b) Allow exceptions:
(A) For courses, programs and activities approved by the school district that are conducted on school property, including, but not limited to, hunter safety courses, Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, firearm-related sports or firearm-related vocational courses; and
(B) Identified by and adopted by the State Board of Education by rule.
(c) Allow a superintendent of a school district to:
(A) Modify the expulsion requirement for a student on a case-by-case basis.