Zero Tolerence

Zero Tolerance

By Laura Zielske

These days being a kid in school sure isn’t the same as when I was growing up. Times have changed a lot since then. In those days our biggest fear was a tornado or at worst a nuclear bomb attack. School administrators didn’t think twice about whether the school was locked down after the morning bell rang. There were no metal detectors to greet us at the front door, let alone police officers on staff. Along came the days of paramilitary style school shootings like the one at Columbine High School in Colorado. The horror the teachers, administration, students and their parents lived through that day will be with them forever. As a result of that school shooting and others in recent years, most public school districts have adopted a zero tolerance policy with regard to weapons, drugs and alcohol. According to Russell Skiba, author of Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence, “…from its inception in federal drug policy of the 1980’s, zero tolerance has been intended primarily as a method of sending a message that certain behaviors will not be tolerated, by punishing all offenses severely, no matter how minor” (Skiba).

The National Policy by Gun Free Schools Act of 1994 was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The bill originally covered only firearms, but later amendments broadened the language of the bill "to include any instrument that may be used as a weapon” (Skiba). While the idea of the original bill was meant to protect our public school students, the current policy takes common sense discretion away from teachers and administrators when dealing with student discipline. However well intended our public schools were in adopting the zero tolerance policy, many mistakes have been made since its inception. I understand the reason schools want a quick fix to the problem. The reasons behind adopting the policy are obvious; put in place rules and policies that send a very strong message that bad behavior is unacceptable. The policy, however, has been misinterpreted and revisions need to be adopted. After twenty five years of zero tolerance we are no closer to solving the problems with drugs, alcohol or weapons in our public schools than we were before zero tolerance.

Take for example little 6 year old Zachary Christie in Newark, Delaware, who brought a camping utensil that can serve as a knife, fork and spoon to school October of 2009 and was suspended and was ordered to serve 45 days in the district’s reform school (Urbina). For another example look to Lisa Smith, a middle school student in Texas who participated on numerous extracurricular activities at her school and made excellent grades. Lisa “violated the school’s “zero tolerance” policy by bringing a 20 ounce bottle of Cherry 7-Up mixed with a few drops of grain alcohol to school” for a school project. She was given an academic death sentence and sent to 5 months in a military-style boot camp” (Cauchon). Additionally, “In Montana, teenage hunter Demari DeReu forgot to remove an unloaded hunting rifle from her car before returning to her high school after the Thanksgiving break. The rifle was locked in a case in the trunk and there was no ammunition in the car. The 16-year-old remembered the gun was still in her car when school officials announced a lockdown for a routine contraband search on December 1. DeReu told school officials about her predicament before the search began, expecting to be allowed to move her car off school grounds or take the gun home, as a teacher had previously told her would be permitted under such a circumstance. Instead, she was escorted from her classroom and informed that she would be suspended” (Education Reporter). Fortunately in DeReu’s case the board members in her school district were able to modify her punishment and she was allowed to return to school and her record was eventually expunged.

All of these students suffered unnecessary punishments that didn’t necessarily fit their crime. Although these infractions “technically” met the zero tolerance policy guidelines, can you truly compare a camping utensil to a switchblade that is used solely as a weapon? Did putting Lisa Smith in a military boot camp solve the problem of teenage drinking?

By applying a strict and unforgiving policy to all students, public school districts have gone too far and criminalized the very students they are there to advocate. Today as I write this paper an elementary school student in Houston, Texas, brought a loaded pistol to school and accidentally shot three of his fellow students. His punishment has not yet been decided, but he could face a one year expulsion and end up in an alternative school (Rivas). It is time to evaluate whether zero tolerance should no longer be tolerated and a new policy put in its place that will be a more effective way of ridding our public schools of weapons, drugs and alcohol.


Works Cited

Skiba, Russell. "Indiana Education Policy Center." Indiana University. Indiana University, August 2000. Web. 19 Apr 2011 .

Urbina, Ian. "The New York Times." It's a Fork, It's a Spoon, It's a...Weapon?. The New York Times, 12/10/2009. Web. 19 Apr 2011 .

Cauchon, Dennis. "Zero-Tolerance policies lack flexibility." USA Today 13/04/1999: n. pag. Web. 19 Apr 2011 .

"Education Reporter." N.p., February 2011. Web. 19 Apr 2011 .

Rivas, Elissa. "Kids return to school following accidental shooting." ABC 13 Houston, Texas. N.p., 20/04/2011. Web. 20 Apr 2011 .