The Effects Of Zero Tolerance In Schools

The premise of this paper is to discuss the definition, background, and negative aspects concerning zero-tolerance policies in high school education. The use of reports, mental development research, and examples will provide sufficient evidence that zero tolerance policies are ineffective and creates more harm than good for high school students. To address the need for attention, alternative recommendations will provide positive results if adopted and implemented correctly in school districts.

After the Columbine massacre, schools have truly put their foot down on student threats and bullying by enforcing zero-tolerance policies that punish any violation of a rule, regardless of ignorance, accidents or other circumstances.("9 Ways School Has Changed Since Columbine." Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2017.) Students, staff, parents and other school visitors who are in possession of a weapon or drug are punished. zero-tolerance has lead to many criticisms and overreactions by school districts, such as student expulsions for bringing nail clippers or a knife to cut a cake to school.("9 Ways School Has Changed Since Columbine." Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct.

In school zero-tolerance policies are intended to eliminate behaviors deemed as intolerable, such as violence, bullying, or having a weapon. But these policies are useless and unneeded because they cannot be used until after the damage has been done. Often times the intolerable behavior becomes more prevalent when the types of policies are put into place.

Zero-tolerance policies do get bullies out of school and away from possible victims. However, this does not solve the bullying problem. Instead, it removes bullies from a place that could punish them for bullying to roam the streets with little interference. Bullies would still be free to harass students online and offline if they

The public school system in America is flawed and only seems to favor those of a higher socio-economic class. American students in poor and high minority schools receive fewer resources, fewer AP classes, and less qualified teachers unlike their white and higher-class counterparts. Which in return has lead to lower high school graduation rates, low-test scores, and less students going to college. Some public policy has been made to fight the inequality for black and Latino students in public schools by starting desegregation plans but little has it helped. High stake state exams have held students back from moving on or receiving their diploma. According to the article in paragraph 2 its estimated 58 percent or more of ninth grade minority students will not graduate high school in

Zero tolerance is unfair to students. The policy teaches students that there is only one way and that there cannot be reasons. Multiple students have had there education totally ruined due to an accident. An example can be a Winston 6 six grader who was expelled because he brought a kitchen knife for a science project. The zero tolerance rule shouldn't be enforced at any school it takes advantage of students.

“Zero-Tolerance Policy” is one of the top 10 reasons as to why students decide to drop out, due to the suspensions and expulsions (Morin, "The Pros and Cons of Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools" Par. 12). The Zero-Tolerance Policy is a policy that, like the name states, has zero-tolerance for anything seen as a threat or anything that sends an inappropriate message towards the community, causing that student to be arrested or expelled. The Zero-Tolerance policy applies to any student, regardless of any health problems and includes any student between the ages of 4-18 (Morin, "The Pros and Cons of Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools" par. 27). Teachers and administration say that removing students is necessary for learning, but in doing so, administration hurts the student as well. Some places do not provide alternative places for students to learn, really taking away their education. If it really ensures a safe and orderly environment for children, then there should be proof. There is no actual proof that it makes students feel safer, (Wahl, "School Zero Tolerance Policies Do Harm" par. 1). It alienates the student and makes the student feel as if they are the “odd-one out”. Due to the injustices that this creates, the

Absolutely, zero tolerance policies can violate student rights! The 1969, Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District set the precedent on First and Fourth Amendment rights. It was decided, “that students in school are still “persons” under the Constitution and are therefore possessed of fundamental rights that the state must respect.” Although schools are responsible for preserving the learning environment, student rights must be respected in the process.

Zero tolerance is a great idea however, there needs to be changes made to this program. Zero tolerance has made big changes at schools, some good and some bad. The idea of getting a school safer is great but some of the consequences in the program can be rather excessive.

Who hasn’t heard of the Columbine shooting, where in the spring of 1999 in Littleton, Colorado over a dozen people where killed and many others were wounded at the hands of two students? Or even more recently, who does not know about the Virginia Tech massacre where a single student killed thirty-two people and wounded over twenty more? University of Texas, California State University, San Diego State University, the list of school violence is long and heart-breaking. Students and teachers have lost their lives by the dozens to gunmen that carried a grudge for some reason or another. These are extreme cases, for sure, and there is without a doubt a need for discipline in schools every where. However, zero-tolerance policies are not the

Zero tolerance has caused many educators to throw common sense out the window. In the article on zero tolerance by Kaitlyn Jones, she illustrates a good analogy (2013); when one student throws a pencil down because he’s done with the test and is bored and another student throws a pencil because he is frustrated and hasn’t started the assignment, teachers treat the behaviors differently (Jones, 2013). “Any intervention that treats dissimilar problems with similar behavioral outcomes the same is not only unfair, but

Zero tolerance has been taken to an extreme level in schools. Zero tolerance should be put into force in schools for the students who intentionally misbehave. There will always be accidents and there should be consequences.There needs to be some consideration taken for the students that do not intentionally get into trouble.

Zero tolerance puts teachers and school professionals in a position to create negative relationships with students. Students see teachers as authoritarian dictators when zero tolerance is enforced. There needs to be a better students discipline practice in place in order to address the needs of students who are acting

Sparked by President Bill Clinton’s Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, the “zero tolerance” policy has discouraged and punished students who hinder learning in schools by fighting, using profane words, disobeying rules, and bringing drugs, alcohol, and weapons to school. This policy’s goal is to make schools an efficient and safe place to grow and develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Without this conduct, not only would some students behave irrationally, they would harm fellow peers and make school a dangerous place to be. It would be difficult for administrators to discern what is right and wrong if they have the opportunity to be biased or lenient. Zero tolerance in schools creates a safe learning environment for students without drugs, alcohol, and weapons present; this policy prepares students for the real world and reduces subjectivity in the administrators.

Zero Tolerance Policies are policies that attempt to send a message to students by punishing both major and minor incidents severely (Skiba, 2000). It does not matter what the incident was, the punishment is going to be harsh. In The Failure of Zero Tolerance, Skiba also calls this the “broken-window” theory which is that communities feel they must react to minor disruptions in the social order with strong force so that they “send a message” that certain behaviors will not be tolerated. This type of policy is to try to increase safer schools and increase the school environments. The zero tolerance policies started out of the state and federal drug enforcement