I can't think of any.....
Originally, zero tolerance measures were aimed at dangerous kids who brought guns and drugs to school.
Disagree. They were there so the school boards and admins (nothing more than politicians) can look good and say. "See, we are doing something!!!"
There is zero tolerance for weapons - what is a weapon? Is it a butter knife, a laser pointer, a beeper?
A pencil or a pen can be used as a weapon.
The same question applies to drugs. Is a children’s multi-vitamin a drug? What about an inhaler? Certs? Mouthwash?
Caffine.....
What about zero tolerance for “disrespect” or “insubordination”?
I'm glad I'm out of school......
Is that simply whatever the administrator of the school deems it to be? For example - in Mississippi, there is a law that allows students older than 13 to be expelled if they are “disruptive” in class three times over the course of the school year.
That's ridiculous. Disruptive is whatever a teacher or admin says it is.
“deal with” them. What qualifies as a disruption? Is that chewing gum in class or passing notes or using profanity - or pulling out a gun and threatening the teacher with it?
Or speaking my mind.....
Consider the case of the 17 year old honors student from Arkansas that was sentenced to 45 days in alternative school because his father accidentally left a scraper and pocketknife in the car the weekend before.
A pocket knife is a TOOL.
Despite the pleas from the father, the school system refused to budge on the inviolate “weapons possession” punishment.
Time to recall or vote out their school board.
Then there was the 18 year old girl who was arrested and charged with a felony for having a kitchen knife in her car that she had been using to open boxes. She was denied her right to graduate and she now has a criminal felony on her record. Is this the ultimate aim of zero tolerance?
But it's for your safety.
Hardly. On the contrary, it fosters an attitude of resentment, disrespect, and deep anger towards authority.
It sure does. I'll just say that I'm glad I graduated before Columbine. That was the final nail in the coffin of freedom.
t also leaves no room for a positive relationship between children and teachers – there is, for the child, always a fear of punishment for the slightest unintended wrongdoing.
I'm glad most teachers I had didn't like to fill out paperwork and had some sort of common sense. I was in the office enough as it is. Luckily I only got suspended once.
It leads to a form of self-censorship that is representative of life under dictatorships.
Or is could lead to rebellion???
Do we really want the cookie-cutter kids that zero tolerance strives to create, devoid of fire and passion and intelligence and creativity? Do we want kids that are always afraid to speak their own mind and stand up for themselves for fear of disrupting a classroom and being suspended or expelled for it?
I don't, but I think most people do. The dems sure do. The unions sure do. "Shut the hell up and follow orders."
Perhaps the only positive aspect of zero tolerance is the likelihood that the children who had to endure it will be the ones who are likely to change it.
I sure hope so.
There was a thread on here about Zero Tolerance. A 15 year old asthmatic lent his inhalor to his girl who was having an attack. Now he's charged with drug dealing and busted by the school. This kid should get a medal, and he's getting screwed over. That one hits close to home for me. I'm an asthmatic and I've lent my inhalor out before. I could have been in the same situation and busted if some dumb schmuck wanted to go on an authority trip.