The Trouble With ‘Zero Tolerance’

Unfortunately when it comes to zero tolerance they mean it. My 8 year old son was expelled from school for hitting a boy at school who was teasing my special needs son. A symptom of his diagnosis is anger and physical aggressiveness. I thought the situation would be handled differently because he had an IEP. Unfortunately it did not protect him and we had to move to another school district.

I dunno… I can understand all sides of this one.

Physical violence can not and should not be “tolerated” anywhere. However, there are a wide range of ways to “not tolerate it.”

The issue is, often it starts out with teasing, then someone hits someone else… Then the someone who was hit shows up with a gun at school or something.

Something clearly has to be done about such situations. Should some be exempted from having to accept consequences for their actions because they are somehow different? By that logic shouldn’t society simply allow serial killers to not go to jail for their violent crimes after all, to be that kinda sick one is clearly very different from the normal society…. No ofcourse jail is the proper recourse. And students who have violent tendencies can not be permitted to attend the same classes with students that are not violent or you wind up with a society of victimized students lashing out.

But is expulsion really necesary or just some sort of separate but equal public education a better solution… I don’t know. I know i don’t want my kids to get hit at school for anything short of hitting someone first. By that same token, my kid teases someone for their disability, i have 0 tolerance for that crap also. My kid would not be too pleased with the result of giving that a shot.

I am surprised lostmom that the student doing the teasing had no consequences.

The problem is it is public school it is a machine which makes no distinctions and never runs at optimal. If you want your kid to be treated as an individual or just as a human being rather than a number i suggest homeschooling or a private education or sending them to europe for their public education.

School drop out rates are like 1 in 3 i think in highschool which is more than like tripple what it is here in europe. The school system int he usa is busted beyond repair.

Yup a positive program seems a good idea and some sort of social training is a great idea as well. But there will always be those normal and un-normal who still behave violently. What should be done about them? Should they simply be told to take a time out for a couple days so they can return to assault someone else upon their return?

The problem is, there is no simple solution within the context of a system. When education became a system education in the USA signed it’s own death warrant as you can’t reach every child the same way and once you create this standard and systematically implement such standard education…. No one ends up with anything worth anything that way.

I agree there is more they can do to inspire a violence free zone and i think it a shame that they do not do those things. But at the same time, if someone has violent tendencies then they can not be allowed to just run rampant in school no matter what their diagnosis is. Your rights stop at the nose of the person next to you. If you cross such a line something that in some way makes it impossible for you to repeat the behavior must be done. Expulsion seems to me a bit harsh, still, it is a machine so there are only so many mechanical options that the machine has at their disposal.

Lostmom,
Did the school conduct a manifestation meeting for your son before the expelled him? Manifestation meetings are required by law and are in place to prevent things like this from happening.

Pete
School Psychologist
Educational Consulting Solutions
http://educationalconsultingsolutions.vpweb.com/

I dont look favorably upon zero tolerance either. The problem is one word: Generalization. While it may seem fair that every misbehavior is punished the fact is that every situation is different and may be very complex. Especially what the children involved is concerned. As the article pointed out, arresting can have quite a negative, counter-productive effect. Whatever happened to second chance and pedagogical tact?

Thanks for sharing the article. Zero Tolerance is a slippery slope. They are trying to do it for the safety of the kids but many time it ends up biting them back. I personally feel that most people are to PC these days but then there are rules like this that are not.

[quote=FunnyGuy]Thanks for sharing the article. Zero Tolerance is a slippery slope. They are trying to do it for the safety of the kids but many time it ends up biting them back. I personally feel that most people are to PC these days but then there are rules like this that are not.[/quote]

I agree Funnyguy it is a slippery slope. By PC do you mean politically correct? If so I see your point.

Examining the whole idea of zero tolerance, I must say that I am led to agree with you. Zero tolerance is really geared or centered around fast-acting interventions which is felt will send a clear, consistent message that certain behaviors are not acceptable in the school system. However,this system does has its’ drawbacks and can become ineffective in the long run with very negative consequences, some of these consequences may include increased rates of school drop out and discriminatory application of school discipline practices. Instead of being completely focused on total zero tolerance policy administrators in schools could instead seek to implement more positive strategies such as school-wide positive behavior programs, social skills training. These are interventions if properly employed will lead to improved learning for all students and safer school communities.