CMV: Zero tolerance policies in schools are useless and do more harm than good. Zero Tolerance Controversy The goal of zero tolerance. . Originally Posted by gitem_12Zero tolerance policies are harmful to everyone Couple years ago we got called to a high school football game between two rival schools. This ensures that everyone is working from the same set of guidelines and reduces the chance that someone will be reprimanded for something they didn't know was wrong. For example, look at what happens when a student brings a weapon to school. A sample zero-tolerance policy. "more minor offenses (or no offenses at all) are now processed formally by the police and the juvenile court." (sheldon, 2006) examples include: (1) a five-year prison sentence for a 17-year old texas high school basketball player who "threw an elbow" to the head of an opposing player in a basketball game; (2) two six-year old children suspended Zero tolerance becomes the excuse for throwing away a range of alternative consequences and enforcing only the toughest possible punishment. Comments ( 51) Los Angeles Unified School District plans to end zero tolerance policies at all of its schools. Implementation Examples As of 2008, zero tolerance (ZT) policies appear widespread in American schools 6 . . Less egregious cases. 2. Reserve zero tolerance for the "bad stuff." Theft is a good example. Sample by My Essay Writer Schools require management and this makes it necessary that the administration chooses the most effective styles. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights defines a zero tolerance policy as one that "results in mandatory expulsion of any student who commits one or more specified offenses." As . According to the school policy, anyone who brings weapons to school will be treated the same, regardless of intent or the perpetrator's age. While the Zero In federal law, zero tolerance became a seizure tool that . This example can be related to the unfair, discriminatory, excessive punishment that zero-tolerance policies often entail. The district, which has more than 640,000 students in almost 1100 . In lawmaking, zero tolerance is commonly utilized in DUI laws. Physical violence (e.g., assault) falls into the same bucket. Zero tolerance was an example of a criminal justice approach to drug control. If you have a zero-tolerance policy, every single one of your employees will know what happens if they break a rule or fail to follow through on an assignment. For example, in 2000, Black students represented 17% of the student population yet represented 34% of the suspended population (Wald & Losen, 2003). The principal wanted four 8th graders arrested for throwing eggs at the rival schools bus. The idea of getting a school safer is great but some of the consequences in the program can be rather excessive. Zero tolerance policies assume that removing students who en-gage in disruptive behavior will deter others from disrup-tion (Ewing, 2000) and create an improved climate for those students who remain (Public Agenda, 2004). One student pretends to play by shaping his hand into a gun during recess time while another student brings a replica gun to school and brandishes it as though he is going to shoot a classmate. Zero tolerance refers to school discipline policies and practices that mandate predetermined consequences, typically severe, punitive and exclusionary (e.g., out of school suspension and expulsion), in response to specific types of student misbehaviorregardless of the context or rationale for the behavior. Under a zero-tolerance policy, a school official has no flexibility to consider the circumstances because physical violence is unacceptable across the board. 15 June 2022. A Study of Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools: A Multi-Integrated Systems Approach to Improve Outcomes for Adolescents . It completely ignores values and rules. The beginnings of the Zero-Tolerance policy in schools were established and codified by federal law in 1990 known as the Gun-Free School Zones Act. She, in turn, missed her graduation. bringing any weapon to school, including seemingly innocent items like nail clippers and toy swords having any alcohol or drugs on campus, including tobacco and over-the-counter medications like aspirin or Midol fighting, including minor scuffles threatening other students or teachers, or saying anything that could be perceived as a threat However, the non-governmental organization and governments are working on improving the standards in the schools . A National Center for Education Statistics study found that 94 percent of public schools had zero tolerance policies in effect for firearms, 91 percent for other weapons, 88 percent for drugs, 87 . Examples of Zero Tolerance A school has a rule that no students may create replicas in any way of guns whether for play or in seriousness. For example, students may be suspended, expelled, or even arrested by law enforcement for violation of a zero tolerance policy. A zero tolerance policy is a law or policy that disallows any level of participation in the action that the policy references. Consider the following if you have zero-tolerance policies: Bad stuff. Anne Atkinson, a member of the Virginia Board of Education defines zero tolerance as a "policy that mandates predetermined consequences or punishments for specified offenses." The policy first became effective in 1989, but grew most rapidly in 1994 when the Gun- Free Schools Act was passed (1). The Zero tolerance policy was developed back in 1989 but gained popularity in 1994 at the time which the Gun-Free Schools Act became law. . Students, and sometimes staff, parents, and other visitors, who possess a banned item for any reason are always (if the policy is followed) to be punished. Whether it is getting arrested for doodling on a desk, as Alexa Gonzales, a twelve-year-old student did in New York, or getting expelled from the school for bringing a clear, plastic toy gun in your backpack, as a seven-year-old student did in Florida, chances are that zero tolerance policies are to blame (Boccanfuso). Zero tolerance policies are likely to get more attention now that education secretary Betsy DeVos has repealed Obama-era guidance that sought to reduce suspensions, particularly among children . The abuses and flaws of Zero Tolerance Policies are evident in the news. School officials declared the hat out of bounds because the toy soldiers were carrying miniature guns. statements opposing the use of zero tolerance policies in schools because they might limit the ability of administrators to respond to "the circumstances or nature of the offense or the student's history" (e.g. The zero tolerance policy has been getting more and more heat from media and parents alike within the last couple of years. This policy seeks to minimize instances of crime and violence in schools. In schools, common zero-tolerance policies concern possession or use of illicit drugs or weapons. lack of a single de nition of zero tolerance makes it dif -cult to estimate how prevalent such policies may be. This leads to removal of students viewed as good students from school due to which appear to be minor . One of the more notorious cases was when a boy bit a Pop . Varied views exist on zero tolerance policy that include its substantive impact, for whom it is intended, and its viability to address the problem of school violence. Sheldon Wein has set out a list of six characteristics of a zero tolerance policy: [20] Full enforcement (all those for whom there is adequate evidence that they have violated the rule are to be identified) Lack of prosecutorial discretion (for every plausibly accused person, it is determined whether the person has in fact violated the policy) Zero tolerance policies are enacted as law or in environments such as workplaces or schools. Back in 2014, a young high school student, (S.G.), was expelled for fighting in what witnesses and a video of the incident indicated her actions were in self-defense. The article " Zero Tolerance: Safer Schools or Unfair Rules" says "Horror stories abound: The Wisconsin sixth-grader The development of this policy was to assist schools with better policing approaches of students conducts by employing tough disciplinary action and subsequently provide a safer learning environment. So-called "zero tolerance" school policies have proven controversial, since they are most often characterized by mandatory responses to student misbehaviour, applied in a non-discretionary manner, regardless of circumstance. But, my work and a recent report show they are actually less common than frequently thought. Zero tolerance is a popular term used to designate (and promote) school policies that address incidents of drug or weapon possession with automatic suspension or expulsion. The task force reviewed 10 years of research on the effects of zero tolerance policies in middle and secondary schools and concluded that such policies not only fail to make schools safe or more effective in handling student behavior, they can actually increase the instances of problem behavior and dropout rates. The following student discipline policy is a sample policy provided only as a reference. David Morales, an 8-year-old Rhode Island student, ran afoul of his school's zero tolerance policies after he wore a hat to school decorated with an American flag and tiny plastic Army figures in honor of American troops. The student is either given a lengthy suspension or expelled. It Can Take Away a Classroom Teacher's Autonomy to Settle Minor Incidents and Prevent Bullying Consider this: A kindergarten class is having free play. The father passes out due to alcohol. The policies extend to activities or items which are not clear threats to school safety for example, nail clippers. . Many times in the news I have read about cases of students being expelled/suspended from school and having their reputations ruined, or otherwise punished, due to zero tolerance policies being implemented. Crafting a zero tolerance policy certainly sounds tantalizingly simple. [i] Many schools are fueling . The punishment applies regardless of the circumstances, the reasons for the behavior (such as self-defense), or the student's history of disciplinary problems. The kid brings the gun to school in an effort to get it away from his father and turn it in to authority that can help. However, there is a voice that is conspicuously absent in . Starting in 2009, several states passed laws to revise zero tolerance policies in schools, including Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Rhode Island 19, 20. For children being sent home because of their hairstyles, or because they simply don't have any hair at all, such as the little girl who shaved her head in support of her best friend going through chemotherapy. This federal law was the catalyst for school zero tolerance policies . What does zero tolerance mean and has it been effective in schools? At Washington Preparatory High School, for example, the intervention programs on campus help to render the zero tolerance policy effective. A zero-tolerance system requires school officials to hand down specific, consistent, and harsh punishmentusually suspension or expulsionwhen students break specific rules. There has been many times where a student has gotten in trouble for a minor violation of the Zero Tolerance policy. The concept of zero tolerance dates back to the mid-1990s when New Jersey was creating laws to address nuisance crimes in communities. "Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence," a 2000 study by the Indiana Education Policy Center, notes examples of expulsion for such infractions as possessing a nail-clipper, butter knife, or squirt gun. All four are real examples of zero tolerance school discipline policies in Massachusettsand there are thousands of stories like these throughout that state and across the country. In its purest form, "zero tolerance" describes a school policy that "assigns explicit, predetermined punishments to specific violations of school rules, regardless of the situation or context of the behavior." The rationale is that serious offenses should be met with firm discipline. In summary, "school-to-prison pipeline" theory which uses the zero-tolerance approach accelerates school dropout rates, leading to more students arrests. I explained to him that givi. Under such an approach, the control of drugs rests within the domain of the criminal justice system, and the use of drugs is regarded as a criminal act, with legal sanction as the consequence. Also, 'kids will be kids', meaning that a child's nature is to behave immaturely. 8/20/14 10:46PM. If legal advice is required, consult your school district legal counsel. Zero tolerance policy was created as a result of the Gun Free Schools Act of 1994. Zero Tolerance policies are typically enacted by a school against a exact action, or possession of something on school property. Zero tolerance policies are also thought to be widespread. Parents, politicians, principals, and teachers have stated their views on the issues. What caused the zero tolerance policy in schools? The use of zero tolerance policy is common with some schools but then there is a lot of controversy on whether it is a successful option. This strengthens the purpose of the policy. Download. Since its inception, zero tolerance policies have led to spike in the number of suspension and expulsions, especially for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered) students; however, there has been little evidence supporting claims that it has deterred or resulted in a decline in school violence (Gale, 2015). The policy has brought negative impacts on learners, the community and schools. The 1990 Act was set up to ensure no one would be able to bring a gun into schools and carry out acts of violence, like school shootings. A 1997 U.S. Department of Education study found that zero tolerance offenses frequently resulted in suspension or expulsion, including a) possession or use of a firearm (80%), b) possession or use of a weapon other than a firearm (78%), c) possession or distribution of alcohol, drugs or tobacco (80%) and d) physical fighting (81%). Some have adopted the policy for purposes of . People have different arguments for and against this management [] The purpose of this paper is to emphasize why zero tolerance in schools is an important legislative, judicial or public policy issue while elaborating on its potential direct effect on education. In a workplace there is a policy against lateness. Even if the punishment is set, we should be considerate of if the disciplinary action taken is justified and being used fairly. Zero tolerance means "no excuse" and automatic expulsion for violating such a policy. American Psychological Association, 2006). From this act, zero-tolerance policies were . When the federal government passed the Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Act of 1989 . Next came the war on drugs. Prepare a written statementperhaps a few sentencesstating that the organization will not tolerate drugs, harassment, violence, fraud, whatever. The impacts of bullying can endure forever. An unfortunate victim can grow up to have various medical issues, for example, anxiety, headaches, sickness, ulcers, restlessness, kidney objections, skin rashes, bad tempered inside disorder, raised pulse, loss of certainty, sobbing uncontrollably, suicide. Literature Review Zero-tolerance policies have been adopted by various schools for various reasons. Racial discrimination is unintended consequence of 90s-era zero-tolerance policies Examples of Zero Tolerance Policies A school has a rule that no students may create replicas in any way of guns whether for play or in seriousness. Zero tolerance policies are often judged as punitive, rigid and impersonal, therefore unfair and consequently . However, after the Columbine shootings, the Christina School District implemented zero-tolerance policies. Zero-tolerance policies require school officials to give students a specific, consistent, and harsh punishment, usually suspension or expulsion, when certain rules are broken. Zero tolerance policies are those that surround weapons, drugs, and physical violence; that . The Zero Tolerance policy was intended to eliminate learners who are a danger to a learning institution (Henson, 2012). This was why the the six-year-old was suspended. Then post it on bulletin boards or online. Zero . Furthermore, my school does not target minority groups or students with disabilities with this policy. According to the Zero Tolerance Task Force of theAmerican . The main goal of these neighborhood crime policies was to have zero tolerance for petty crime such as graffiti or littering so as to keep more serious crimes from occurring. How do zero tolerance policies affect students? But the school, like so many schools, has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to fighting. The historical roots of zero tolerance policies in schools stretch back through school shooting tragedies in the 1990s to the ideological clash over an emerging youth drug culture in the late 1970s. At the time, these policies primarily dealt with major offenses involving weapons and drugs. African-American and Hispanic kids disproportionately kicked out of school, investigators say. For example, the Renton School District has established minimum and maximum ranges of corrective discipline for exceptional misconduct for . Here are but a few examples of the abuse of Zero Tolerance Policies: A Valedictorian was suspended, because she accidently left a kitchen knife on her car seat after it fell out of a packing box while moving. But beyond the basic statement lies a landmine of policy, legal issues, cultural . In order to ensure a safe and secure learning environment, the following offenses will not be tolerated: Zero - tolerance policies are one piece of the epidemic known as the "school-to-prison pipeline" - the criminalization of school-based student misconduct that increases the chances that students - especially low-income students of color - will end up involved in the juvenile or criminal justice system. According to Anne Atkinson, Virginia Board of Education members, this policy is an approach that orders foreordained results . 329. Zero-Tolerance. However, the kid is discovered with the gun before he can turn it in and is expelled as a result, as that is the response according to zero tolerance policy. Whether an employee steals $5 or $500,000, it is still a dishonest act that poses a significant risk to your business. And where there is a zero tolerance policy in place, those children may be detained, suspended or expelled, often without due process. The establishment of zero-tolerance policies began in the 1980s. Suspended and expelled students are at greater risk of dropping out of school and dropping into the prison pipeline, and using automatic suspensions and expulsions . Zero tolerance refers to school discipline policies and practices that mandate predetermined consequences, typically severe, punitive and exclusionary (e.g., out of school suspension and expulsion), in response to specific types of student misbehaviorregardless of the context or rationale for the behavior. Analysis of Zero Tolerance Introduction Safety is a paramount issue in leading any school in America. Another example is an incident being considered a drug offense when a student is found to be in possession of an over- . With the eminence of weapons, drugs, and violence within our communities; it has become necessary for school's to develop zero tolerance policies. 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