Preview

Zero Tolerance Policy

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1392 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Zero Tolerance Policy
The zero tolerance policy strives to reduce violence in schools and make schools a safer place for students. Anne Atkinson, a member of the Virginia Board of Education defines zero tolerance as a “policy that mandates predetermined consequences or punishments for specified offenses.” The policy first became effective in 1989, but grew most rapidly in 1994 when the Gun- Free Schools Act was passed (1). There are many controversies about the zero tolerance policy including whether or not the policy is effective in reducing violence in schools, whether or not schools are trying to handle disciplinary actions in a fair manner, and whether or not all students are treated equally when punishments are determined. While many supporters, such as school administration, believe that the zero tolerance policy is necessary in schools, those who oppose the policy, such as parents, believe that the policy is unfair and ineffective in schools. Those who support the zero tolerance policy believe that the policy is effective in reducing violence in school. Atkinson argues that “strict policies are needed to send a clear message and are designed to protect students” (2). Agreeing with Atkinson, Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler, scholars on the zero tolerance policy, believe that by using the zero tolerance policies, it is evident to students that aggressive behavior is unacceptable. By allowing the students to realize that misbehavior will not be tolerated, students become more likely to obey the rules and cooperate with schools (1). According to the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV), 17.1% of students carried weapons at school and 71% of elementary and secondary schools have experienced at least one violent crime by a student. A nationwide survey suggested that 15% of students have been involved in a physical fight on school grounds. By using the zero tolerance policy, those students who are violent in school are expelled or suspended, resulting


Cited: Atkinson, Anne J. Zero Tolerance Policies: An Issue Brief. 2005. Division of Policy and Communication. 12 Nov. 2009 . Curwen, Richard L., and Allen N. Mendler. "Zero Tolerance for Zero Tolerance." 1999. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Middleton Library, LSU. 12 Nov. 2009 . "NASP Fact Sheet - Zero Tolerance." National Association of School Psychologists. 2001. 21 Nov. 2009 . "NCCEV Overview." The National Center For Children Exposed to Violence. 2003. 21 Nov. 2009 . Skiba, Russell J. "Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence: An Analysis of School Disciplinary Practice." 2001. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Middleton Library, LSU. 12 Nov. 2009 . Skiba, Russell J., and Reece Peterson. "The Dark Side of Zero Tolerance." 1999. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Middleton Library. 12 Nov. 2009 . "Zero Tolerance Policies Are Not as Effective as Thought in Reducing Violence and Promoting Learning in High School." Media Information. 2006. American Psychological Association. 12 Nov. 2009 .
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Newpoint Pensacola Student Handbook 14

    • 10347 Words
    • 52 Pages

    Newpoint Pensacola Student Handbook 14

    In School Suspension (I.S.S.) or equivalent / Parent Conference ● The school promotes a zero tolerance policy for crime, substance abuse, and victimization. Disciplinary policies include statements regarding anti­harassment, anti­bullying, and anti­violence policies and due process rights in accordance with state and federal laws Disciplinary policies include procedures regarding student interviews by law enforcement and Department of Children and Families. ● ● 1. 2. 3.…

    • 10347 Words
    • 52 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Zero Tolerance Case Study
    • 1984 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Zero Tolerance Case Study

    The philosophy of zero tolerance after the school shooting in Columbine greatly influenced the “get tough” movement within schools and the juvenile justice system and greatly increased the number of youth in the juvenile justice system. What is the philosophy of zero tolerance? How did change within the schools affect the juvenile justice system?…

    • 1984 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Stakeholder Influences Hsm/270
    • 1588 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Stakeholder Influences Hsm/270

    References: Violence Prevention/Education. (2011, May 31). Retrieved June 12, 2011, from Funding Alert; REV. Volume 6 No. 11: http://www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/FundingAlert-V6N11.pdf…

    • 1588 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    documentary review war on kids
    • 1259 Words
    • 4 Pages

    documentary review war on kids

    The documentary begins with a history of the zero tolerance policy. In the 1990's, most schools established guidelines in institutions in order to keep the campuses safe from weapons and drugs. However, schools would soon find themselves deciding which items are considered weapons and what is considered drugs. In today's society, even knives at lunch and ibuprofen are considered hazardous to the safety of our schools. Even kindergartners are being expelled and suspended for playing cops and robbers, using their fingers as guns, or drawing "dangerous" pictures of a man with a gun. Let me address the thought in many minds while watching this film. What 5 year old child is going to cause danger or harm to a school? That's just the issue, it seems our society cares more about safety due to illogical fears, rather than our children's education. That in itself is causing our education system to fail rapidly and increasingly. The documentary also informs us of other incidents occurring in the schools. A 3rd grade student was suspended for a kiss on the cheek, a 5th grader was expelled for bringing ibuprofen to school. Many argue that this kind of action taken by authority is a threat to the basic rights. Forcing students to go through metal detectors, and permitting drug searches without consent is not only robbing…

    • 1259 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    African Americans Are at an Increased Risk for Undergoing Some Disciplinary Action Within the Legal System Than Any Other Group in the United States
    • 1775 Words
    • 8 Pages

    African Americans Are at an Increased Risk for Undergoing Some Disciplinary Action Within the Legal System Than Any Other Group in the United States

    Skiba, R., et al. 2006. “Are zero tolerance policies effective in the schools? An evidentiary review and recommendations”. American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force.…

    • 1775 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Annotated Bibliography Urban Violence
    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography Urban Violence

    Aggression and Violence and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth (Basch, 2011) is this article the author explains how the issue of violence and aggressive behaviors has become a growing problem in schools and is negatively effecting the success rate of minority students. Students who acted out violently and with aggression were once looked at as a problem to be handled by the criminal justice system. Today schools and public health systems are focusing on the problem and recognize that these behaviors are interfering with the academic success of students and peers. I chose this article because it…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Zero Tolerance Definition
    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page

    Zero Tolerance Definition

    Past studies have shown that African American male students are disproportionately given exclusionary discipline consequences as compared to their White counterparts. Zero tolerance policies have been found to be one of the major reasons for such occurrences. These policies were first used as a weapon against drugs and violence on school campuses around the nation. Yet, these measures were also extended to include much less serious offenses. The promotion of school safety and order was the objective in instituting zero tolerance policies. Many teachers and educational leaders…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Zero Tolerance Policies In Schools
    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Zero Tolerance Policies In Schools

    Rather than promoting a safe environment of learning, and opportunity, schools have made it almost impossible to tell the difference between a school yard and a jail yard. Due to “zero tolerance” policies, police presents, and relying on suspensions and expulsions for minor infractions, students are missing out of their education. There once was time when disciplinary issues could be resolved by school administrators, but now students are either suspended or expelled on the spot. Students who have never been suspended or expelled are at less of a risk for incarceration than those that have been. There are approximately 3.3 million suspensions and over 100,000 expulsions each year. Zero tolerance policies were first adopted in the mid 1990s, since then the rates have been on a constant climb. Even though, the rates of school violence has been declining, suspension and expulsion rates are still rising. Zero tolerance policies have especially affected elementary and middle school children. “Seven of every thousand pre-schoolers are expelled from preschool programs, over three times the rate of expulsions in grades K-12” according to SentencingProject.org. This is not just bad for the students that get expelled but for everyone. Turning schools into “secure environments”, with school police, and staff that looks down on every mistake you…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    School Shootings
    • 1710 Words
    • 7 Pages

    School Shootings

    There are several theoretical explanations to why school violence is reported today more frequently than before. According to institutional explanations of school disorder, school climate is an explanation to the causes of school violence. The climate of a school includes the unwritten beliefs, values, and attitudes that become the style of interaction between students, teachers, and administrators. School climate sets the parameters of acceptable behavior among all school actors, and it assigns individual and institutional responsibility for school safety. School climates includes factors such as communication patterns and norms about what constitutes appropriate behavior (Welsh W. , 2000). School with violence problems tend to have unclear and unfair rules that are inconsistently enforced and schools where students perceive greater fairness and clarity of the rules have less violence and student victimization. In my opinion this means that a school who has better communication and understanding of the school rules and behaviors are less likely to experience victimization. I believe this to be true to an extent but I also believe there could be more than just the school setting that causes violence. Institutional explanations are not the only explanations that try to explain why violence occur…

    • 1710 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    School To Prison Pipeline Essay
    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages

    School To Prison Pipeline Essay

    A zero-tolerance policy was vastly adopted following the 1999 Columbine shooting. It was created in order to make schools safer by giving harsh punishments no matter the circumstances of the issue nor the child. By using this policy, minor mistakes made by students are criminalized and can give them a criminal…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Argumentative Essay On School Shootings
    • 2232 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Argumentative Essay On School Shootings

    School environments can be improved if efforts are contributed by administrators, parents, community members, and students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conclude that there are three different levels of strategies that must be utilized in order to properly prevent violence in schools. “No one factor in isolation causes school violence, so stopping school violence involves using multiple prevention strategies that address the many individual, relationship, community, and societal factors that influence the likelihood of violence. ” Individual level strategies include focussing on emotional self-awareness, positive social skills, and conflict resolution in students.…

    • 2232 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Zero Tolerance Policy
    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Zero Tolerance Policy

    Being able to provide a safe environment for students has been a priority since school zones have become a war zone. It only took one gun shot fired at a school to cause mayhem across the country. Since this occurrence school safety has been a concern the entire educational community share. Zero tolerance is as much as an issue with people outside of school as well as the people inside. Opinions vary whether one is against this policy or not, especially psychologists and regular people in and out of school grounds. The school systems have become culprits of hate and violence. Although many believe that the zero-tolerance policy will be beneficial to all, many choose to think differently.…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Constitutional Limit Of Zero Tolerance In School
    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Constitutional Limit Of Zero Tolerance In School

    Zero tolerance policy has been around since 1994. While zero tolerance may sound fair and reasonable, it isn’t practical when in use of instances when the victim is not at fault or was doing a good deed. In his very long scholarly article, “The Constitutional Limit of Zero…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Critically Evaluate Feminist Explanations of Female Criminal Behaviour.
    • 2514 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Critically Evaluate Feminist Explanations of Female Criminal Behaviour.

    Doerner, W., Thornton W., James, J. (1982). Delinquency and justice . University of Michigan: Scott Foresman. p271-283.…

    • 2514 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    School Safety Essay Example
    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages

    School Safety Essay Example

    In the last decade, school violence cases have drastically increased. Between 1997 and 1999, there was a rash of school shootings, the most notable occurring at West Paducah, Jonesboro, and Columbine. These examples are just a few instances in the long list of tragedy that occurs in the school setting. There is a broad spectrum of school violence and misconduct that keep school officials on alert: handbook violations, drug use, harassment, bullying, fighting and school shootings. With school violence on the increase, administrators are forced to re-evaluate school policies to ensure safety and security for the students and staff members. The National Education Association (NEA) supports policies developed by states, districts and schools to effectively address bullying and harassment that lead to school violence (NEA, 2002-2010).…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics