Zero Tolerance Policy In Public Schools

Unfortunately, these children cannot complete their education because they have to travel with their family and learn to manage at a young age a life of hard labor. This however does not diminish their dreams of completing high school and some day attending a university so that they will not have to live the life of struggle their parents did to sustain the household. In cities like Detroit, MI there is a large population of low income Hispanic and African American families. The public school system unfortunately cannot potentially promote a high-quality education. The majority of these students do not receive an entrance level education simply because of living standards. Income plays an important role in education opportunities regarding the quality education each student can pertain. Since the minorities in that area are low-income they cannot afford to attend a private high school that can better prepare them for college. According to a research done at the University of Texas-Pan American, “certain racial or ethnicity factors should play a role in the admissions decision.” (Marklein)

America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s

With landmark Supreme Court decisions in regards to education such as Brown v Board of Education, which made segregation within schools illegal, one would be inclined to believe that modern schools are void of any inequality. However, at a deeper glance, it is apparent that there is a glaring inequality within public school systems at the national, statewide, and even district-wide level. Such an inequality has drastic results as the education one receives has a high correlation to the college they will attend, and the job they will work. It is in society's best interest that public school systems be improved to equally supplement students with the tools necessary to succeed. While the public school system aims to reduce the inequality within it, they have proven ineffective in guaranteeing children of all races and economic classes an equal education.

In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as part of his “war on poverty” in hopes of closing the achievement gap between low income schools, which typically house larger percentages of student of color, and their more affluent counterparts. The act has been redefined and reauthorized every five years since its original enactment. However, despite the last 50 years of education reform, the disparity amongst high and low poverty schools is as large as it ever was. In turn, the disparity between students of color and white students has only grown. Clearly, the one size fits all approach to education America has been using does not work. The U.S public education system is broken and, as a country, very

This is something that could make sense but Kozol doesn’t follow through with how it actually affected the kids. He states, “In the 6 percent of districts [New York] where black and Hispanic students make up the majority, only 40 percent do so [graduate]” (pg.359). Yes, he gave evidence on graduation rates of urban high schools vs. suburban high schools although were the urban high school rates low because of the racial segregation or was it because of something else. He could have made his essay more impactful by giving the reader insight on how his claim is true and given evidence on some of the kids’ lives or stories. This is a big statement and even though he does say before the quote that its due to lack of quality at these low-income schools it would make everything more effective if he would have gotten personal thoughts on the students who are being affected or dropped out. How their personal choices could have related to the way their educational system was not quality or even considered for more governmental

After reviewing the Government laws and policies that have been in placed and replaced in history and more currently to contribute and correct the issue. The most important question of all remains. Why does the Achievement Gap still exist? According to former Secretary of Education John King (2016) “Black and Hispanic students continue to lag behind their White peers in achievement and graduation rates.”After so many attempts made by the Government to close the Gap and create equality, clearly there is something that is not being addressed across American Public Schools. Frederica Wilson (2013) former state senate member stated in the Brown vs Board Documentary There is such a difference in going to one school in one community and going to another in another community. Why don't we tackle that problem instead of testing the students predicting they will fail, watching them fail and denying them a good life?”The question now that remains how exactly are the schools different in different communities?

Sometimes, the SROs programs have negative impacts on student’s life. Before, student misconduct was held by the teachers, but now it is controlled by the law enforcement in school (Beger 2002). For example, “five students were suspended and charged with crime for tossing peanuts at each other on a school bus” (Beger 2002:123). Schools have accepted the strict and high-security measures to protect students, but would result in diminishing the rights of students (Beger 2002). Students are searched without suspicion, especially the minority communities (Beger 2002). The unreasonable searches diminish the rights of students, which protect them from unreasonable search under the Charter of Rights and Freedom. It is clear that police in schools may impact negatively if the police officers conduct an unreasonable search based on class, racism, and gender. The result of zero tolerance in school leads more students’ school-to-prison pipeline, which results in more youth in prison. The zero-tolerance policy accepted in school to expel any students who involved in any illegal or misconduct behavior (Beger 2002). However, if the students feel that the police in schools and rules of school are fair and just, then eventually students will follow the rules and provide safer school surroundings (Beger 2002:127). Because the main reason of SRO is to prevent the drug issue, violence, shooting, threat, and maintaining law in school.

In the article “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Education Apartheid” author Jonathan Kozol informs us about inequality and segregation in today’s school systems. Kozol talks about schools were minority’s makes up the student body. For example, Kozol refers to John F. Kennedy High School where the majority of the student body is made up by African Americans and Hispanic students, only a third of the students are white. Kozol states that schools like these are typically underprivileged schools that normally have structural issues and also lack behind in technology and resources for students. Kozol also brings up the predominately white schools where on average there is more money spent on students and funding is not a problem, these

Kozol’s article focuses mainly on urban schools. This may not be relatable for some readers when they try to reflect what they have read onto their own experiences. He says, “There are 120 high schools in New York, enrolling nearly 200,000 minority students, where less than 60 percent of ninth-graders even make it to twelfth grade” (Kozol 359). This is a shocking statistic to say the least, but that’s all he says about it. He doesn’t give any more information about those students or their educational experiences.

This is detrimental because the young generation gets lower exposure to a racially diverse and tolerant community. In addition, schools composed of mostly white population get better resources and more money. 90 percent or more pre dominantly white public’s schools receive an average of $733 dollars more per pupil [2]. Course offerings seem are unequal to with 25 percent of majority black not offering Algebra II and 33 percent not offering Chemistry. Even schools with majority black that have gifted programs only enroll a disproportionately low black students into their programs [3].

The problem for which resolution would be sought is that zero tolerance unfairly targets minority middle school students. Because of this policy, minority students have shown the tendency to be academically unsuccessful and are more prone to engage in misbehaviors that could lead to suspension or expulsion from school. It is for the sake of all of the children in American school districts that administrators, educators, and parents work together in order to determine the exact cause of this disproportionality and resolve this egregious example of injustice once and for all.

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 of Education in America In Bedford, Texas, a 16-year-old honor student was expelled after a

Is there a zero tolerance policy at this school? On what? The teacher answered with “Yes, there is zero tolerance on illegal substance and weapons, and depending on the teacher there will be zero tolerance for assignments, plagiarism, and behavior.” Why is zero tolerance being used in your school? The teacher answered with “we should act professionally towards our academic standing so that the students should learn to be more responsible for their actions in the future” Can a zero tolerance policy lead to safe schools? Why or Why not? The teacher answered with “yes, school regulations are there to protect both students and teachers” Do you implement zero tolerance in your classroom? Why or Why not? The teacher answered with “It can help with

1. The “get tough” zero tolerance approach to discipline, in conjunction with the 1998 Amendment to 1968 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act, led to the increased presence of police in schools, causing the criminal justice system to become responsible for dealing with school misconduct that was once handled internally, a process called the “School-to-Prison Pipeline” (Class Notes 3/24/16; Mahan: Exam 2). The increased interaction of law enforcement in school discipline leads to an increased number of students being involved in the juvenile justice system at a young age. It also can lead to a greater use of expulsions and suspensions, which increases the risk of students dropping out of school completely, and juveniles who drop out