I really disagree with these "one size fits all" laws and policies like DAEP and ZERO TOLERANCE. Every situation is unique and should require a human somewhere in the process to make sure that it works appropriately.
When I was at Humble High School 30 years ago, a kid got expelled under the zero tolerance weapon policy. He had helped his family move over the weekend and there were still a couple of boxes in his car. One of the boxes in the back seat had stuff from the kitchen including silverware like knives. Somebody saw it, reported it, and the zero tolerance policy kicked in. It was ridiculous but what could you do?
You can't fix stupid with zero tolerance policies.