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Pros and Cons of Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools

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Pros and Cons of Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools

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Supporters of the Zero Tolerance policy believe that harsh and equal punishment is the best lesson for student's actions or misbehaviors. Opposers to the policy believe that it's too broad, for example, a student can get suspended for having nail clippers if the school believes they're labeled as weapons.
This article points out how the policy can create unreasonable punishments for minor actions or misbehaviors. If a child gets suspended or even arrest for carrying a nail clipper (as it can be seen as a weapon), the child now can face minor charges and is unable to continue to focus on their education. For a policy that is intended to keep students in check and getting a better education, it is very hypocritical.

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In 1994, federal legislation required states to expel any student who brought a firearm to school for one year. If schools didn't comply, they'd lose all federal funding.

Following that law, many schools adopted zero tolerance policies for students who brought any type of weapon to school. Many of them also developed zero tolerance policies for possession of drugs and alcohol as well as incidents of bullying.

Although the idea stemmed from school officials wanting to keep kids safe, many educators question their effectiveness. In fact, over the years, zero tolerance policies have become quite controversial.

Con

Lack common sense as may apply to harmless items

Don't improve school safety

Students banned from school face risks at home without supervision

Expose children to legal charges for minor offenses

Support for Zero Tolerance Policies

Supporters of zero tolerance say strict policies are necessary to keep the learning environment safe for students. Proponents report it doesn't matter why a particular rule was broken. There should be no exceptions under any circumstances and kids should receive serious consequences for violating the policies.

Supporters also say zero tolerance policies best prepare children for the real world. After all, the police officer usually doesn't care if you were speeding because you were late for work, you still broke the law.

Similarly, your boss may not care what excuse you have for being late. You might not get paid for the time you missed, regardless of whether you had a flat tire or you got stuck in traffic.

Proponents also say zero tolerance reduces favoritism because there isn't room for subjectivity. Just because a student is smart or has parents who are involved with the school, there won't be any room for leniency when the rules are broken.

Zero Tolerance Policy Criticisms

Critics of zero tolerance policies express concerns that such policies lack "common sense." For example, there is often little agreement about what constitutes a weapon.

A rubber band or nail clippers may be enough to get students suspended. Similarly, a student in possession of ibuprofen may be expelled for drug possession. Critics cite a variety of outrageous examples of zero tolerance policies gone wrong.

The biggest issue most critics have about zero tolerance policies is that they don't work. In 2008, the American Psychological Association published a report that concluded, "Zero tolerance has not been shown to improve school climate or school safety."

The task force who conducted the study expressed concern that zero tolerance policies were unnecessarily preventing children from getting a public education and causing many children to face legal charges for relatively minor offenses.

In 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement criticizing zero tolerance policies. The report expressed concern that such policies are harmful to students because students who receive suspensions and expulsions are 10 times more likely to drop out of high school.

Students who are sent home may not have an adult to supervise their activities and they may become more likely to engage in illegal activity.

Alternatives

There are many alternatives to zero tolerance policies that can help keep kids in school while also teaching them valuable life lessons. Of course, violence prevention is one of the best ways to keep everyone in a school system safe.

Restorative justice programs and community service may be better interventions for first-time offenders. Determining consequences on a case-by-case basis can prevent overly harsh consequences. Out-of-school suspensions and expulsions could then be reserved for repeat offenders who pose a real risk to school systems.​​

Dealing With a Zero Tolerance Policy

If your child's school has a zero tolerance policy, educate yourself about the rules. Understand what the policy covers and makes certain your child understands the policy.

Take a proactive approach to prevent your child from breaking the policy by having aspirin in a pocket or a squirt gun in a backpack. And stay involved with your child's school so you can understand the reasons behind their rules and the best ways to keep your child safe.

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Can Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools Keep Your Kids Safe?

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In 1994, federal legislation required states to expel any student who brought a firearm to school for one year. If schools didn't comply, they'd lose all federal funding. Following that law, many schools adopted zero tolerance policies for students who brought any type of weapon to school.

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Between 2019 and 2020 research shows that about two million students were suspended due to the Zero Tolerance Policy. English language learners, minorities, and students with disabilities are the prominent victims of such policy. This video explains how important it is to look at the brain's development and its connection to the child's behaviors. Most suspensions are made after 7th grade, starting in middle school, which is also when students are starting the face of adolescence. During this time, the frontal cortex of the child's brain is filled with neurons. The frontal cortex is responsible for problem-solving and emotional regulation, around the age of 25 is when the frontal cortex stops expanding. If students don't learn how to emotionally regulate they'll get stuck in a cycle of breakdowns and suspensions. By suspending a student, the school is not teaching how to regulate or communicate their emotions in hot heavy situations such as fights. Sometimes fights can start because one person is stressed or has a lot going on, and them not being able to emotionally regulate makes them a ticking time bomb ready to explode. If schools start looking at the brain and mental awareness they would realize that the students are labeling themselves as "bad" because they have been suspended or expelled no matter how big or small their actions were. This ends up making the students turn on themselves, and believe the label that they have been subconsciously given as bad, which makes them act accordingly to such.

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Zero tolerance and the teenage brain | Colin O'neal | TEDxTeachersCollege

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This video points out how extreme the measure of having police officers in the school is. One can view how police officers can physically and mentally abuse students for misconduct. However, what actions can make this treatment reasonable? These students are being shamed in front of their classmates, harassed, and traumatized, instead of getting educated on their behaviors. Such students that experience or view these events are usually the ones that end up having trust issues with the police. Yearly the police arrests tens of thousands of students mainly due to disorderly conduct; usually for kicking a trashcan.
Police presence increases in Urban schools, As Holder comments, black kids are three times more likely to be suspended than their white peers. A student that is suspended is more likely to drop out, and more likely to end up in the criminal justice system. This policy ends up haunting and hurting students based on their race, background, and socioeconomic status.

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How Zero Tolerance Blurred the Lines Between Schools and Criminal Justice | Retro Report

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How does Zero-tolerance policy affect minority students and provide an inequitable education system. 

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Race-Ethnicity, Social Class, and Zero-Tolerance Policies

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Race-Ethnicity, Social Class, and Zero-Tolerance Policies

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Zero Tolerance policy is not designed to educate students, it is designed to punish them for their actions. When looking at comparison data, most zero-tolerance policies appear to be linked to the percentage of minorities in the school and socioeconomic status. Some of these policies are in regards to uniforms, closed campuses, controlled access to school, drug sweeps, and random metal detector checks.
This article shines the light on the reality of how inequitable the policy is. Students of color are more likely to be suspended than white students for the same actions. This is seen in urban schools which many people have a stereotype of urban students being "lazy" or "criminals" when in reality the policy is set up to get them to fail. The majority of urban schools have police presence and a high suspension and incarceration rate. The schools don't take the time to understand the student's actions and instead go through harsh punishment to try and get their lesson across. But when the whole system is against you, it is difficult to want to try and suceed.

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This meme portrays how unreasonable the Zero-Tolerance policy truly is. Students get suspended for what the school considers as "vandalizing school property", instead of doing clean-up time, warning, or detention. The policy itself is designed to witness student's failures instead of teaching them about their wrongdoing in a way that their education will not be hindered.

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My environment and social media have shaped the lens through which I view the Zero Tolerance Policy. Living in a minority-populated town it was an issue that we spoke about briefly, however, once I came to college and started taking FSA courses is when I was fully exposed to such extreme policy, and being a Hispanic woman adds to how I view the Zero Tolerance Policy. Seeing as I want to become an educator who believes in her students and wants them to succeed, to me the Zero Tolerance Policy is a limitation to the child's powers and shut the student down from fully reaching their potential. Nobody is taking the time to teach the student and speak to them about their actions. Instead, the student is just being punished and that creates a broken foundation between the student and the school system. Mainly, I want to work in an urban setting which is one of the places primarily affected by such policies. It is very difficult to be your best self in a system that is built against you. For such reasons I believe that it is very difficult to see how someone could support the Zero Tolerance Policy.