Argument Essay: Zero Tolerance Policy
Chicken Finger Wars:
A Discussion on School Zero Tolerance Policies On April 20, 1999, in the small town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school students named Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris committed one of the most gruesome and heinous school shootings to date. They carried out a meticulously planned assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' original plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. Armed with guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. At the end of the shooting spree twelve students, and one teacher were declared dead and the two shooters were found having committed suicide; 21 more students were injured during the boys' rampage. This became known as the "Columbine Massacre" and began a new age of school discipline. The new school policies have come to be known as "Zero Tolerance Policies". The zero tolerance policy was a new policy implemented by a large majority of schools following the massacre. These policies established a harsh and un-forgiving system of punishment for students who broke school rules and those students who were perceived as a threat or as dangerous. In theory, these policies were fool proof and the only way to make schools safer. However, the whiplash of the implementation of these policies is now becoming evident. Suspension rates have sky rocketed, as have the number of expulsions nationwide. America's quality and safety of education is deteriorating. A quote-un-quote environment of fairness and safety has all but disappeared due to the severity and un-fairness of these policies. It is evident that these policies are not fool proof and do not keep everyone safe.(#6) The abuses and flaws of Zero Tolerance Policies are evident in the news. Here are but a few examples of the abuse of Zero Tolerance Policies: A Valedictorian was suspended, because she accidently left a kitchen knife on her car seat after it fell out of a packing box while moving.
A Discussion on School Zero Tolerance Policies On April 20, 1999, in the small town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school students named Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris committed one of the most gruesome and heinous school shootings to date. They carried out a meticulously planned assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' original plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. Armed with guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed. At the end of the shooting spree twelve students, and one teacher were declared dead and the two shooters were found having committed suicide; 21 more students were injured during the boys' rampage. This became known as the "Columbine Massacre" and began a new age of school discipline. The new school policies have come to be known as "Zero Tolerance Policies". The zero tolerance policy was a new policy implemented by a large majority of schools following the massacre. These policies established a harsh and un-forgiving system of punishment for students who broke school rules and those students who were perceived as a threat or as dangerous. In theory, these policies were fool proof and the only way to make schools safer. However, the whiplash of the implementation of these policies is now becoming evident. Suspension rates have sky rocketed, as have the number of expulsions nationwide. America's quality and safety of education is deteriorating. A quote-un-quote environment of fairness and safety has all but disappeared due to the severity and un-fairness of these policies. It is evident that these policies are not fool proof and do not keep everyone safe.(#6) The abuses and flaws of Zero Tolerance Policies are evident in the news. Here are but a few examples of the abuse of Zero Tolerance Policies: A Valedictorian was suspended, because she accidently left a kitchen knife on her car seat after it fell out of a packing box while moving.
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