Zero Tolerance By: Ariel Jones

Why did I do this Presentation?  I know we have already discussed it in class…  Had a wonderful discussion on the topic.  There are MANY differing opinions on the topic.  I, myself am torn on which directions that I believe…  Wanted to show you guys a little bit more research and information so you can have all the knowledge before you make your own decisions.

Your views??  An eye for an eye…  An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind…

Zero Tolerance  The definition-  “Zero Tolerance imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero tolerance policies forbid persons in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to subjectively the circumstances: they are required to impose a pre-determined punishment regardless of individual culpability, extenuating circumstances, or past history. This pre-determined punishment need not be severe, but it is always meted out.”

How it began…  Fixing Broken Windows- Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities, published in The Atlantic Monthly by conservatives James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling.  Its purpose was to contain or eliminate crime from the urban communities.  Appeared for the first time in 1994  Safe and Clean Neighborhoods Act

All for one, one for all…  What do you think…  According to scholars, zero tolerance… considers the poor as criminals, and it reduces crimes to only "street crimes", those committed by lower social classes, excluding white- collar crimes.  For the urban communities- black students are already suspended or expelled at higher rates than their peers. They will suffer the most under the new "zero tolerance" attitudes toward rising school violence. This could me that zero tolerance means that black students will be pushed out of the door faster.  Should Zero Tolerance only be in the urban community schools or if it is good for one should it be good for all…?

Differing Opinions…

Pros…  Gun control  A need to respond swiftly and decisively  Police can clearly communicate the severity of the situation  Liability  A school that does not enforce a zero tolerance policy risks a civil lawsuit by victims of school violence.

Cons…  Inflexible discipline policies produce harmful results  Places more students on the streets  Can produce more hate and violence  Schools are failing to use common sense  Hurt students futures

Statistics  Columbine  Demand in heightened security  44 violent school deaths to 15 violent school deaths in 2001  Granite City School District  75% decline in expulsions because it, “Draws a line and tells students they may not cross those lines.” Albert Shanker (1997) American Federation of Teachers.  Henry Foss Senior High School  95% drop in violent behavior on campus  Record breaking freshman enrollment  Parents wanted their children at a school not in violence  New Jersey’s Lower Camden County Regional High School District  30% drop in disciplinary hearings  50% drop in drug related offenses

Really…?  Lisa Smith was an honor student, a cheerleader and a Student Council member at Lakeview Middle School in the Dallas suburbs. She played violin in the school orchestra, won awards at the science fair and had just finished a highly praised project on the Holocaust for an honors history class. But, one mistake later, the eighth-grader who had never known trouble, faces five months in a military-style boot camp. Her offense: She violated the school's "zero tolerance" policy by bringing to school a 20-ounce bottle of Cherry 7-Up mixed with a few drops of grain alcohol.  Two 10-year-old boys from Arlington, Virginia were suspended for three days for putting soapy water in a teacher's drink. At the teacher's urging, police charged the boys with a felony that carried a maximum sentence of 20 years. The children were formally processed through the juvenile justice system before the case was dismissed months later.

Differing Approaches  Anger Management classes  Anti-Bullying Seminars  Severe punishments in the school building  Scare Tactic  Peer Mediation  Individualized Discipline

WHAT DO YOU THINK…??