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How Safe Are Our Children At School?

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How safe are our children at school? This question is asked every time we hear about a school violence in the United States. The federal government passed the Zero tolerance policy in 1994 which required students found in possession of guns, knives, drugs and alcohol to be expelled from school. Zero Tolerance policy came into limelight in 1999 Columbine school shooting, where two students killed 13 and injured 24 others. Schools have zero tolerance policies to keep the students disciplined and to prevent any violations. Many may think that zero tolerance is ineffective but I think that this policy has decreased violations to keep the school environment safe for students to learn in and believe that more can be done to make our schools …show more content…

These policy generally require the student to be expelled or suspended on the first offense for a variety of behaviors which was initially instituted for possession of illegal drugs and weapons, but now is frequently applied for smoking tabacco or fighting in school. All states had passed a law which required all local school districts to expel students, for at least one year, to qualify for federal education funds. In ‘Zero Tolerance Policies are Ineffective’ Brian Wilson and Laura Finley (2015) argue that Zero Tolerance policies are ineffective since they are often applied to minority and disadvantaged students. Finley and Wilson examine two reasons to support their idea. First, they say that authorities lack common sense with deciding a penalty or punishment for the students who break rules. They argue that many schools have increased the security at school to create a more productive learning environment but this is where the problem is increased. The writers believe that students should be given a chance to explain themselves, if and when they are caught in possession of either drugs, guns, or knives because it can be an innocent mistake. Second, Wilson and Finley, state that the school board members renounce responsibility of making difficult decisions. Wilson and Finley conclude that a punishment should be given on the basis of

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