...Running head: ZERO TOLERANCE Zero Tolerance Tara Harrigan, Udawna Neal, Shamada Platt, Shareese Williams Grand Canyon University Legal Issues in Education EDA 555 Dr. Denise Geier February 06, 2013 Zero Tolerance Zero tolerance began as a government plan to keep our schools safe and is now believed to be a major contributing factor to the downfall of the public education system. This policy stems from the Gun-free School Act (GFSA) of 1994. The act mandated that any student found to have brought a firearm to school would be automatically expelled from school for at least a year. The act was later initiated to encompass nonviolent offenses such as possession of drugs, persistent profanity, rebelliousness toward authority, vandalizing school property, and activities associated with gangs on school property. (Fries & DeMitchell, 2007) However, what was meant to be accomplished by this act, and what actually happened were very contrasting events. The GFSA was the first law which took control of disciplining students out of the hands of administrators and left it up to the written “rule” provided by state legislation (Martinez, 2009). The discretion of the discipline process was placed at the hands of the classroom teachers and administrators interpretation of that rule. The most notable complaint is the complete ridiculousness of some of the harsh responses to petty offenses that fall under the guidelines of what defines a punishable offense or weapon possession...
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...Zero Tolerance By Purple Team Grand Canyon University: EDA 555 Instructor: Norman Hale February 25, 2015 Zero tolerance policies began in 1994 following the passage of the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA). It was generated in response to numerous school shootings that had taken place across the United States (US). The Gun-Free Schools Act entail policy that forces schools to expel students who possess or carry a gun(s) while they are on school campuses and/or property. Zero tolerance policies are in schools all across the United States and are coined “Zero-Tolerance Schools”. Zero-tolerance policies are found in schools ranging from elementary through universities/colleges. The court rulings, laws and policies of zero-tolerance are designed to create a safe learning environment by keeping drugs and weapons off of school property. Punishment relinquished in zero tolerance schools range from detention to expulsion from the school. Some individuals believe that zero tolerance policies go too far, as the punishment is swift and unyielding for various types of inappropriate behaviors enacted by students (Lawyer.com, 2015). This paper examines the effects of zero tolerance policies as it relate to David Silverstein, 13, was inspired to build a model rocket after seeing the movie October Sky, a biography of NASA rocket scientist, Homer Hickam. The boy took his rocket, made out of a potato chip canister and fueled with three...
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...Does School Violence Warrant a Zero-Tolerance Policy? While violence is becoming a common occurrence in many schools across the country, we must ask, does violence deserve a zero-tolerance policy? Studies have shown that there are many positives and negatives to having the zero-tolerance policies in schools today. The amount of violence in schools has continued to rise in recent years and this has led to people wanting a way to change it. Are zero-tolerance policies the way to do it? Studies have shown pros and cons to the policies. Zero-tolerance policies have specific consequences for each action that a student might commit (Rice). This allows the school to treat all of the students fairly. Every student will be punished to the same...
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...Title: Not on Our Watch! By Glading, Randall article tells how the administration at Yorktown High School, in Yorktown Heights enforced a zero tolerance policy. It was brought to one of the administrators’ attention that some of the student in the school had been drinking at football games. A zero tolerance policy was enforced immediately. Yorktown High administrators and staff came together to monitor the students more closely at the foot games. The first game after the policy was enforced. Two students were found to be under the influence. Those student were suspended immediately for three day. When the students returned to school they had to do mandatory meetings with the school counselor. I agree with the zero tolerance policy when it is not being abused. Teachers should not have to tolerate extreme miss behavior. I do believe with this issues of alcoholism the zero tolerance policy was the right thing for this school. There is nothing wrong with setting rules and following through with consequences. Biblical insight on zero tolerance took me to 2 John 1:10-11“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. As Christian we have the right to say we cannot and will not tolerate sin. Glading, Randall. Principal Leadership, High School ed.8.7 (Mar 2008): 7-8. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into...
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...“Zero-tolerance” is the policy of applying laws or penalties to even minor infringements of a code in order to reinforce its overall importance and enhance deterrence. In the reading “Zero Tolerance”, Shawn Hubler stands on the opposite side about “zero-tolerance” on campus and even in our society. “Zero-tolerance” is a blind rule that is focusing on punishment only. There is no judgment and no discretion about the offenders and the cases. “Zero-tolerance” may cause bad influence on the offenders’ future. I strongly agree with her position about against “zero-tolerance”. First, zero-tolerance is conflict with my cognition about “rules”. There is not just “black-and-white” in our judging measurement. Grey areas exist. There are some special circumstances that the offenders are naïve or lured to make the mistakes, especially teenagers. Zero-tolerance is too extreme for teenagers. Hubler mentioned an example in her article, which is about a poor little kid who just pretend to have a sip on a vodka-and-orange juice. He was so innocent to admit he drank. Can we say he really did something wrong? However, zero-tolerance policies will never give him any chance other than punishment. Therefore, zero-tolerance has no consideration about the content of the cases. It only focuses on punishment. In addition, zero-tolerance may push the offenders to an abyss for their careers. Hubler wrote, “ So every kid suspected of wrongdoing-drunk or sober, troubled or just uncharacteristically stupid-face...
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...The term “Zero Tolerance” (ZT) refers to those policies that deal out severe punishment for all offenses ranging from severe (such as weapon possession) to minor (defiance or chronic tardiness). In many cases, punishment for a violation under the policy is usually suspension or expulsion from school. Zero Tolerance Policy was originally applied to the criminal justice system as an approach to enforcing drug laws. Due to overwhelming tide of violence, educators in the early 1900’s were seeking a solution to respond towards drugs, gangs and weapons. Eventually the policy has been implemented nationwide through the Gun Free Schools Act of 1994, which mandates a one-year expulsion for students who have been determined to have brought a firearm or any instrument that can be used as a weapon to school as reported in a study done by Boccanfuso C. & Kuhfeld M. Following the Columbine High School massacre by two senior student (“Columbine Highschool massacre”, 2010) and an intense brawl between students involving gangs during a football match (Slater, 1999) in 1999, raised awareness in the...
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...Zero Tolerance This essay will discuss the contemporary educational issue of Zero Tolerance Policies and how personal beliefs and values may conflict with legal and societal expectations. The first item for discussion will be the “Tweety Bird Key-chain-case.” Next, this paper will look at the action legislators that have taken in response to the threat of violence in educational institutions, which lead to the creation and implementation of Zero Tolerance policies. Lastly, the ambiguity and unfairness of these policies when administrators and districts enforce punishment will be examined. One example of how zero tolerance policies have caused nightmares for schools, parents, and students is the Tweety Bird Key-chain-case. The case involved a Cobb County, Georgia sixth-grader who was suspended for 10 days when school officials ruled that a chain on her Tweety Bird wallet violated the weapons policy. A group of lawmakers filed a bill reminding local boards they can take into account whether students intended to harm someone when deciding how to discipline them for bringing “weapons to school” (Salzer, J. 2002). In this case, there seems to have been an over reaction to what had taken place by the school officials. They failed the student by not using a combination of ethical moral judgment along with good old common sense. This sixth-grader had no intention of using the chain on her wallet to hurt another student, but school officials did not take that into account. ...
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...1. In my opinion there should be a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment. If you are found guilty of it I think you should be fired right there on the spot. I don't care if the person being "harassed" is at the same level as the harassor or if they are a superior and a subordinate. No one should have to deal with that in a work place. Now the issue would be was it without a doubt sexual harassment or does it fall into the gray area. 2. If a sexual harassment claim has been made the human resource department should investigate the claim thoroughly to make sure the claim is valid. If the claim is found to be invalid the accuser should be either terminated. 3. I know there are some cases that would fall into the gray area. Not every case is as clear cut and isolated to one event. Sometimes there are cases when a female coworker could be wearing a outfit that is not 100% appropriate for work, as an example. A male colleague could say something to her about her outfit that was not meant to be sexual but that's the way the female coworker took it and reported him to HR. In this case what the male colleague said could be taken out of context and in an absolute zero tolerance policy he could be fired on the spot. There does need to some room for these types of situations and others like it. An investigation needs to be had by a non biased person, the work record of the people who are involved should be taken into consideration and a counseling session with the outcome of the...
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...Analysis I Zero Tolerance Policies Angelina Swofford October 27th 2013 CJA/464 Paul Brouillette Policy Analysis In this paper we are going to be discussing Zero-Tolerance policies and how they affect everyone in the community including the accused and the victim as well as those on the outside. We are going to discuss if this is a regulatory or a legislative policy and if there is any issues with the constitution with implementing this policy. There will also be a discussion of who started this policy and the reason for it being implemented into a policy. Zero-Tolerance Policies Zero Tolerance is something that happens in a lot of areas but the places we hear of it most is in schools and when it has to do with drugs. It is the intent of the legislature to promote safe and supportive learning environments in schools. This is to help protect all of those who are within the school building including staff and students. Zero-Tolerance Policies have to cover everyone within the school and all the same rules have to apply to everyone. In order to prosecute or give disciplinary actions within a school that hosts zero tolerance policies has to be based on a particular circumstance of a student’s misconduct (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Schools have a zero tolerance for bullying and drugs so these two zero tolerance polices go hand in hand. They also have zero tolerance policies that center just around drugs like in Elk Point South Dakota it is absolutely zero tolerance...
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...Harm Reduction Bryon Wilson BEHS 364 August 5th 2014 There have been two different strategies of society dealing with alcohol; harm reduction and zero tolerance. The method of harm reduction is focused primarily on reducing the negative effect of alcohol society and the people who drink. This is usually implemented by our government. They create policies and social programs that can treat those afflicted with alcoholism. There are several ways that this can be accomplished, such as limiting access, and taxing the substance to reduce demand. There are also social programs put in place that can help educate, rehabilitate and help recover. This a strategy compared to zero tolerance carries a unique ability to be tailored to suit individual needs as opposed to a one size fits all blanket policy. The harm reduction policy stands on a principle that alcoholism will not be completely eliminated so it would be more benefit to address the negative harms. For instance as alcoholism can be a major problem at work, some companies provide someone as an advocate and counsel. These counselors can work with them to modify behavior and reduce alcohol related incidents and further harm to their self on the job and in their personal life. That is something prohibition policies cannot do for an individual person. The proponents of zero tolerance see the alcoholic epidemic as a disease and therefore cannot allow continued usage if the person is to be treated and recover. It is not looked at as...
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...Referrals by Time Referrals by Student Referrals by Staff Individual Student Report by Month and by Year Referrals by Grade Level Other: Other: C. Type “Yes” or “No” in the box as applicable to the following. 1. School consistently and uniformly utilizes the two BESE-approved forms. If no, explain: _____________________________________________________________________________ 2. School has addendum to two BESE-approved forms to assist with data collection. If yes, attach a copy of the addendum with worksheet. 3. School has a Zero Tolerance Policy. If Yes, go to #4. If no, go to # 6. 4. Leadership Team has reviewed the Zero Tolerance Policy to ensure compliance with R.S. 17:416.15, including R.S. 17:416 (H) which prohibits disciplinary action against any pupil reasonably acting in self-defense. 5. Leadership Team has revised the Zero Tolerance Policy to comply with R.S. 17:416.15. 6. Leadership Team has reviewed policies for handling suspensions and expulsions to ensure compliance with R.S. 17:416. 7. Leadership Team has reviewed procedures for handling suspensions and expulsion to ensure consistent and fair execution and to ensure that alternative interventions are used. 8....
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...administration of penalty. At the same time company executives must be aware of not only the legal ramifications of the policies they institute but also the environment they create in the workplace that will aid or harm their ability to hire and retain good workers which is critical to the bottom line. Companies try to resolve these differences in many ways including: Team building exercises, training, group projects, and Zero-Tolerance policies. In fact, one of the fastest growing trends firms are using to combat serious potential problems is the use of Zero-Tolerance Policies. Zero-Tolerance policies are policies that enforce pre-determined punishments for pre-determined offenses. By instituting these policies firms show employees, potential employees, and those outside the company that the environment of this company is and shall be free of certain types of detrimental behavior. Having these policies in place helps to create at a minimum the perception of fairness and also are used in legal proceedings should the need arise. Even with the great benefits of Zero-Tolerance policies...
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...Describe in detail the “Zero Drug Tolerance Policy” and explain its impact on drug use prevention. Drugs are substances that can be good or bad for an individual depending on how they are used. In today’s society there are many drugs that we as citizens abuse prescription or non prescription. Drugs can harm the body if they are abused in any way. So, the government decided to put the “Zero Drug Tolerance Policy” in effect. Zero means absolutely NO DRUGS AT ALL. Drugs are not supposed to be tolerated if they are illegal. People who break this law are punished with fines and even prison sentences. Also, people who misuse prescription drugs are punished, but illegal drugs are more prone to this policy. Have you just really thought about what the phrase Zero Tolerance means? Well, this is a term that refers to government and private employer policies that require specific punishments for certain offenses. Today, many schools have the zero tolerance policy for certain things such as weapons, firearms, alcohol, tobacco, and especially drugs. All of these items are things that can harm a person. One may seem more severe than the other, but they are all in the same category when dealing with zero tolerance. Zero tolerance is a policy where the rules must not be broken at all. Even if the rules are broken by accident, ignorance, or other circumstances, a person has to be punished regardless of what the situation maybe. All schools have a Zero Drug Tolerance Policy for students, faculty...
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...Zero-Tolerance in Memphis The Memphis School District had a transformational change happen, when Superintendent Willie Herenton left his position to become the first black mayor of Memphis, the school district hired Dr. Gerry House, in 1992, from the outside because they felt that her experience in a school district that had already been restructured would lead Memphis school reform. It was noted in that case written by Ferrero (1998) that school board thought she could unite “progressive white and African-Americans, based upon an unassailable intellectual vision of high quality schooling” (p. 4). There was escalating violence against staff in the Memphis School District. They adopted the National Gun-Free School Act into their Student Code of Conduct and later added battery of school personnel and drugs possession as a Zero-Tolerance offense. The teachers looked at the revised policy and as a tool to get what they considered as problem students out of their classroom so they could concentrate on teaching the students that wanted to learn. This caused a conflict between Superintendent Gerry house and the Memphis Teachers Association. Superintendent Gerry House put incremental changes in place with her “Basics Plus” plan that allowed the schools to choose one of eleven school improvement models by 1999. The School Boards adoption of Zero-Tolerance reversed a long tradition of keeping...
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...No Tolerance and No Bulling Policies: Why They Do Not Work "Zero Tolerance Policies" were first instated into schools, to enforce suspension and expulsion, in response to students; violating; weapons, drugs and violent act policies that were already in place. Shortly after, schools began to instate “No Bulling Policies” partly to a high suicide rate among teenagers due to bulling. The consequences for violating these policies can now go beyond expulsion, and have legal implications. In theory these policies are a great idea. Unfortunately, these policies are rarely implemented and carried out correctly, causing them to not just be ineffective; but causing them to have adverse effects. We have tried these policies in our schools , it has been proven that they have done more harm than good; it is now time to remove these policies from our schools. The “school to prison pipeline," is a recent national trend where children are pushed out of public schools, and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Many of these children have learning disabilities, histories of poverty, and histories of abuse and neglect. There students would benefit from additional educational and counseling services. Instead, they are isolated, punished and pushed out. Many "Zero-tolerance" policies criminalize minor infractions of school rules. Cops in schools are criminalizing behavior that should be handled inside the school. Students of color are especially vulnerable to push-out trends and the...
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