zero tolerance

Commentary: Crime & Punishment

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School administrations have resorted to Zero Tolerance policies that reinforce negative behaviors. If I misbehave, I get suspended and days off from school. Is that a punishment for unmotivated students or a reward?? Sadly, the motivated students who accidentally break the rules get punished unnecessarily due to this absurb approach! This is just plain wrong.

Helping grandma move into assisted living, 16-year-old student accidentally left bread knife in bed of his truck after trip to Goodwill. Knife was found by school guard, and student was expelled from school for a year.

15-year-old student with a learning disability, expelled from high school because he carried a miniature baseball bat in his backpack that he made in woodshop class.

Detroit sophomore was suspended and threatened to be expelled after being found with an eyebrow archer in her purse.

12-year-old student in Wisconsin was suspended and recommended for expulsion for bringing a table knife for science class onion dissection.

6-year-old student in Colorodo was suspended under the zero-tolerance drug policy for having lemon drops candy.

If a student placed a plastic bag over a teacher's head for a brief moment, the student would be charged with assault. But a school board voting to restrict a child's access to his life-saving asthma medication is no less guilty of a crime.

According to aYale study, preschool children are expelled 3 times as often as children in K-12

Nancy Sandler, executive director of the Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, reacting to Bristol Township decision to require students to keep inhalers in nurse's office.

This is a story you will find hard to believe: My friend is lactose intolerant. She needs to take Lactaid before she drinks milk or eats cheese. She wanted to carry the Lactaid with her in her backpack so she would have it for lunch. The school said she had to go to the nurse for the Lactaid and get a note from the doctor saying she could take it. Lactaid is a food supplement. They said if she was caught taking the Lactaid, the police would come and take her out of the school in handcuffs.