Zero Tolerance For Due Process One of the greatest sacrileges on American society comes in the form of the abundance of violent crimes occurring in the nation's learning institutions. Nevertheless, for citizens to treat everyone as they treat their worst residents contradicts American ideals, yet many zero tolerance policies encourage this treatment exactly. Although some people believe they are fair and effective, zero-tolerance policies regarding weapons on school campuses need to be amended to be beneficial to learning environments.
Some people believe that zero-tolerance policies are fair and necessary for a safe school environment. Said people argue that, due to the high volume of weapons brought onto school grounds, schools absolutely …show more content…
Consequently, schools began to enforce zero-tolerance policies in a misguided but well-intended attempt to create a safer environment for the students. However, zero-tolerance policies often go too far and cause more harm than good in the long run. Zero Tolerance; Safer Schools or Unfair Rules? quoted supporters making claims that the punishments under this policy may seem absurd in some cases but they are by in large fair. Regardless of the student all punishments are “clear, and severe and there are no exceptions” (McCollum). Essentially, integral traits to a successful zero-tolerance policy include clear, understandable, and fair punishments. However, many of these policies fail to take into account the circumstances of each individual case. Therefore, they become prone to unjust punishments totally unfitting of the original crime rather than appropriate responses to specific situations. Advocates of this policy also describe the many benefits it provides for the school, such as the positive results found following the implementation of one at Henry Foss Senior High School in Tacoma, Washington. A study conducted in this school showed that, “record-breaking enrollments of Freshman were found where students claimed they enrolled because of the …show more content…
For example, The National Center for Education Statistics found that “after four years of implementation, zero-tolerance policies had little effect on previously unsafe schools; the center also reports that the current data does not demonstrate a dramatic decrease in school-based violence in recent years” (McAndrews). The results found by the National Center for Education and Statistics- exhibit little to no improvement following the implementation of zero-tolerance policies. In fact, in many unsafe schools’ improvements stalled safety-wise in the four years since the establishment of these policies, a trend that is evident in the results collected by the National Center for Education and Statistics. If zero-tolerance policies do not change anything for the safety of the students, then schools need to amend them to successfully secure the learning environment in the wake of so many weapon-based attacks on campuses. Another study conducted by the National Center for Education and Statistics finds that zero-tolerance policies may be more for aesthetics than actual good. These policies create an image of schools ‘taking resolute measures to prevent violence’ and are more about the image it creates for schools than the actual effectiveness (McAndrews). Zero-tolerance policies should have a concrete purpose to them rather than simply
Some people believe that zero-tolerance policies are fair and necessary for a safe school environment. Said people argue that, due to the high volume of weapons brought onto school grounds, schools absolutely …show more content…
Consequently, schools began to enforce zero-tolerance policies in a misguided but well-intended attempt to create a safer environment for the students. However, zero-tolerance policies often go too far and cause more harm than good in the long run. Zero Tolerance; Safer Schools or Unfair Rules? quoted supporters making claims that the punishments under this policy may seem absurd in some cases but they are by in large fair. Regardless of the student all punishments are “clear, and severe and there are no exceptions” (McCollum). Essentially, integral traits to a successful zero-tolerance policy include clear, understandable, and fair punishments. However, many of these policies fail to take into account the circumstances of each individual case. Therefore, they become prone to unjust punishments totally unfitting of the original crime rather than appropriate responses to specific situations. Advocates of this policy also describe the many benefits it provides for the school, such as the positive results found following the implementation of one at Henry Foss Senior High School in Tacoma, Washington. A study conducted in this school showed that, “record-breaking enrollments of Freshman were found where students claimed they enrolled because of the …show more content…
For example, The National Center for Education Statistics found that “after four years of implementation, zero-tolerance policies had little effect on previously unsafe schools; the center also reports that the current data does not demonstrate a dramatic decrease in school-based violence in recent years” (McAndrews). The results found by the National Center for Education and Statistics- exhibit little to no improvement following the implementation of zero-tolerance policies. In fact, in many unsafe schools’ improvements stalled safety-wise in the four years since the establishment of these policies, a trend that is evident in the results collected by the National Center for Education and Statistics. If zero-tolerance policies do not change anything for the safety of the students, then schools need to amend them to successfully secure the learning environment in the wake of so many weapon-based attacks on campuses. Another study conducted by the National Center for Education and Statistics finds that zero-tolerance policies may be more for aesthetics than actual good. These policies create an image of schools ‘taking resolute measures to prevent violence’ and are more about the image it creates for schools than the actual effectiveness (McAndrews). Zero-tolerance policies should have a concrete purpose to them rather than simply