Zero Tolerance In Public Schools

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One of the many challenges to students educational success is underlying the reality of the “school to prison pipeline,” a phrase which represents the pathway that public schools insert as a scapegoat to the neglect and process severe punishments of America’s public school system. This widespread pattern is associated to the dysfunction and failing results of our public school system. The many dysfunctions of our school system are colorfully swept under the rug. The different mandates are patterns of severe punishments for both individuals and communities. The school system has bluntly forced a norm that coincidently mocks a struggling student and accepting the domination of a full government through racism, discrimination, and capitalism. …show more content…
These strict guidelines impose severe punishments for some undecorated crimes even as simple as tardiness, attendance violations, dress code violations, and other minor offenses. These students are more than likely minority students which are terrorized and threatened of expulsions and suspensions for lightly illustrated crimes as explained. Black students are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended than White students and are held responsible for 70% of arrests while attending school. Simultaneously Latino students are 1.5 times more likely to be suspended than their White classmates. Zero tolerance policies was enforced because of violence inside of schools and to treat every student fairly. However, since these policies were sanctioned it was everything but equal to the students. Students of color were far more targeted than white students when it came to disruptances or problems or even had a heavier consequence. In the article of “Tracing the School-to-Prison Pipeline from Zero-Tolerance Policies to Juvenile Justice Dispositions” Aaron Curtis explains, “A zero-tolerance policy mandates predetermined consequences or punishments for specific offenses” (Curtis,1225). These punishments schools impose for the specific offenses students make are harsh and most likely leading most students into a suspension or even an expulsion. These policies want to take the student …show more content…
The punitive discipline that school’s impose are harsh and highly unreasonable. There are protocols in schools for kids when they cause minor problems such as not paying in class, coming to class late, or even their behavior. The list is endless on how students should behave and not behave during school. When a student interrupts the class or shows disruptive behavior the teacher has full control on what should happen next. Many teachers may choose to send the student to the dean so they can remove the student from further disrupting the class. However, removing the student is a simple alternative rather than dealing with the student and helping them learn from their mistakes. Based on the text in “Keeping Kids in Schools: Restorative Justice, Punitive Discipline, and the School to Prison Pipeline” Thalia Gonzalez states, “The presence of zero tolerance and punitive discipline policies within schools also have negative effects on the offending student, by increasing the likelihood of future disciplinary problems, and ultimately increasing contact with the juvenile justice system”(Gonzalez 282). There are negative effects which impacts a student when they are given a punitive discipline such as when a student is suspended from the school they have less opportunities and support to do well in school. Punitive discipline policies force those

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