One reason for the difficulty in forming a consistent definition is the diverse opinion people have about the Zero Tolerance Policy. Due to considerable research on the policy and its effectiveness, educators understand there are pros and cons to the policy. Although Skiba is an opponent of the policy, he does cite a few examples of how the policy can positively impact school safety. One specific example cited in Skiba’s research is in February 1999 when two middle school girls were expelled for making a bomb threat causing an evacuation of the students and staff. The school responded appropriately by offering an alternative placement and then reinstated the students one year later.…
27th February 2018 Miami Herald 3511 NW 91 Ave Doral, Florida, US. 33172 Dear Editor, Yesterday, you reported on the tragedy that occurred in Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, where seventeen innocent people had lost their lives. This is ridiculous as the United States Legislative Body doesn’t seem to be affected and not being able to resolve this problem. The Legislative Body’s solution is to increase school security by having experienced teachers possess guns during school hours to defend students and themselves. This solution is perceiving as teachers may use the guns to protect themselves but not the students.…
Emmitt Smith High School should Continue the Policy The National Center for Education Statistics states that 94% of schools have a zero-tolerance policy for weapons or firearms, and 87% for alcohol, while only 79% report mandatory suspensions or expulsions for violence or tobacco. These numbers are jaw dropping, because almost 100% of schools in the nation have a zero-tolerance a policy. Knowing these statistics, the administration at Emmitt Smith High School should push to have the current policy continue. Thought the policy has been said to be controversial, with some arguing that it violates the student’s rights, it can be disproved with the results of the surveys taken by the student body at this school.…
By changing provisions, our schools will become a safer environment for all students and faculty. I am primarily concerned about our teachers and children’s protection because of the rise in mass shootings in the United States. The Washington Post states that out of the 12 deadliest shootings in…
They suggest that zero tolerance has developed to into three different categories on how it…
The National Association of School Psychologists describes zero tolerance policies as school enforced polices that mandate harsh predetermined punishments; typically involving suspension or expulsion. These polices can be implemented for a wide variety of reasons, but were commonly regarded as a solution to school bullying. Critics and scientific researchers often advice against using these polices, which have been shown to have an adverse effect on students of urban backgrounds. Out-of-school suspensions are statistically proven to deter students from receiving a high school diploma; specifically among minority males. Students who do face suspension and expulsion due to zero tolerance policies are at-risk of being caught in the “school-to-prison pipeline”.…
The extent to which school administrators have been undermined, and in some ways, replaced by uniformed police officers within public high schools is staggering. The scope of “reasonable” arrests and expulsions within schools grew in the last few decades, and a larger percentage of adolescents, particularly those of color, were being arrested and charged for crimes that would rarely warrant even a 911 call outside of a high school. This pattern of aggressive arrests has extremely negative and counterintuitive side effects for the adolescents involved. While out-of-school suspensions have been growing in popularity throughout the country, this leaves children in often unsuitable home environments that may lend to even more crime and violence. Often times, school is a sanctuary for those living in poverty, and removing them for nearly negligible reasons only exacerbates the chances they will become involved with crime in their neighborhoods.…
Members of the armed forces sacrifice not only their time, but also their lives serving in extreme stressful situations and remote circumstances in the world. Although these individuals are considered to be one our bravest people in this nation, they are also not immune to the substance use issues that affect the rest of society. U.S. military members are considered to use illicit drug use the least as compared to their civilian counterparts, but the popularity of heavy alcohol and tobacco, prescription drugs, and opioids are increasing in a fast pace. If this is left untreated, then it can often lead to criminal activity and can tragically increase numbers of veterans that are being arrested and entering the criminal justice system. Factors of a Veteran Not Seeking Help…
Can states and the federal government mandate people “play nice on the playground” like the principal does in school? If no laws are broken, then technically nothing wrong is happening, right? No. At the first dialogue circle students shared their stories of their mistreatment from community members such as cops, judicial meetings conducted by the school, and peers who asked harmful questions. Several students expressed how they felt stereotype, undermined and how others did not believe their successes.…
Flaws in the zero-tolerance policy cause serious issues like bullying and violence to continue. Texas schools need to replace the zero-tolerance policy with a more beneficial alternative such as restorative justice…
In the city of Chicago, African American’s make up 41.2% of the city’s public school students, and they account for 71% of expelled students and nationally, according to a report by the Department of Education, African-American students are more than three times as likely to be suspended or expelled (Ward, 2014). My goal as a new principal would be to meet with other administrators around the district and get their opinions and perspectives on zero tolerance. I would point out other statistics to my colleagues such as Apex High School in North Carolina. The student body at Apex High School is approximately 74% white, yet according to the Department of Education’s Civil Rights data collection, the percentage of black students receiving in-school suspensions is ten times the percentage of white students (Ward, 2014). As principal of Howard L. Jones High School, I want a positive culture and do right by the students and zero tolerance is not the answer.…
The solution is to take the situation into our own hands. We cannot sit around and hope and pray that things will get better. It is time we make a change. The Race to Nowhere documentary made many people aware of the situation occurring in schools, but now it’s up to the students to step up. As students, we have a right to speak to teachers and administrators.…
The zero-tolerance policy was created to make the school environment safer for the students, the faculty and the community. The policy address violent actions, possession of weapons and drugs with suspension and expulsion. The standard protocol for zero-tolerance eliminates the individual’s moral decision making as every case is conducted in the same manner, no matter the circumstance. As presented in “Stolen Trust”, by Kailey Burger and Meira Levinson, a great teacher-student relationship is faced with a criminal case of a missing phone.…
The school-to-pipeline term according to Lia Epperson is, “One of the most disturbing factors presently limiting educational advancement is the significant racial disparity in the apportionment of school discipline. Due to a series of state-enacted policies throughout the last two decades, school districts across the nation have adopted so-called “zero tolerance policies” that apportion the harshest of criminal punishments for minor, nonviolent offenses. Through such state policies, students of color— and particularly African American children—are overwhelmingly more likely to suffer suspension, expulsion, and arrest, often for nonviolent infractions. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as the “school-to-prison pipeline.” Today’s school-to-prison…
Executive Summary. This proposal focused on discussing the problem of school bullying. The intended audience for this research is parents. The term of bullying includes a number of social, psychological, legal, and pedagogical problems. There are a lot of students who are victims of school bullying through different types of abuse, harassment by classmates and sometimes teachers.…