The Fair Way to Punish Bad Kids

on November 13, 2009 at 2:39 PM

lawyer leaving the courtoom My oldest child is in first grade, so I'm new at this, but I think I understand pretty well the term zero tolerance. It means that schools take guns and weapons super seriously. No second chances. You bring one, you're out. Seems fair enough.

I didn't realize that zero tolerance was the result of a 1994 law in which public schools accepted money from the federal government in exchange for automatically expelling all students who brought guns on the property.

As we know, schools have taken things to the extreme. Kids who are involved in non-gun offenses that were once considered normal childhood behavior or simply the result of bad judgement are wrongly getting suspended, expelled and even arrested in the name of the policy.

Remember the 6 year old suspended for bringing the Boy Scout fork to school?

Crazy things like this happen all the time. Which is why all eyes are on a better system that's currently being used in a school district in Georgia ...

In Clayton County, Georgia, the courts were overwhelmed with juvenile cases involving disruptive conduct or fistfights, according to the New York Times. So the schools started using a new system:

First offense: warning.

Second offense: students and parents attend a mediation session or conflict workshop.

Third offense: court complaint.

The number of court cases have been cut in half, and the rate of dropping out (what happens to a lot of kids after long suspensions or expulsions) is less, too.

Do you think this approach is a good add-on to zero tolerance? Has your child ever gotten in serious trouble for something that you considered an honest mistake or normal kid behavior?

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About the author Cynthia Dermody

is The Stir's Managing Editor who has trophies in her home for her skills at the Irish Jig. She makes cupcakes with as many fattening ingredients as possible, doesn't comb her hair for months at a time, and was probably a faerie in a former life.

Filed Under: discipline, education, in the news, safety

Comments (4)

Freela

on Nov 13, 2009 at 9:03 PM

This is reasonable to me. When my oldest was in kindergarten, I got a desperate 'You need to come to the office NOW!' call about my son. The reason: he was upset that the book fair was packing up early before he had a chance to bring his money in. While expressing this disappointment to the librarian, he said something along the lines of "I'm so mad I wish I could blow up the school!" Yep... uttering a threat, immediate conference with the principal. Never mind the fact that the child was five years old! Luckily they did take age into account and did not suspend him, though they did read him (and I) the riot act and said had he been a bit older there would not only have been a suspension but he would have been reported to the police! On the way home, I asked him if he knew why that was a terrible thing to say. He had no clue. I told him that teachers have to take those comments seriously because sometimes people actually do try to blow up a school. He was totally shocked and had no idea why anyone would REALLY want to do that! He said he was 'just trying to find words to tell her how upset I was because I know I'm supposed to use my words.' I'm glad some judgement was exercised there so he did not end up getting suspended at age five... I understand taking things seriously and he was disciplined and has never done anything like that again. I just think we need to use common sense too!

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Pishyah

on Nov 13, 2009 at 11:17 PM

I agree that if a child brings a gun to school the situation should seriously be looked at. Was it a child who stole it from their parent who was openly planning on killing someone or was the child planning on using it? Both are rare, I hope, but still worth considering. My husband and I went to the same high school and were in the same class when they instituted zero tolerance for gang activity. This would be great except for the things that were suddenly considered "gang activity." Wearing colored shoelaces (including any rainbows, hearts, or anything silly that most gangs wouldn't want associated with them), belt buckles to the side instead of in front, solid colored shirts HAD to have a pocket on the breast, no belt slack hanging down, these silly things weren't a part of the dress code, they were a part of the zero tolerance gang activity rules. Schools are definitely taking it too far.

mancosmomma

on Nov 15, 2009 at 8:32 PM

Zero tolerance is over the top. A 5 yr old bringing in a 1-inch toy gun gets treated the same as a 11 yr old with an actual loaded gun? A cake knife brought in with a birthday cake gets treated the same as a butcher knife?

I think schools, teachers, and administrators need to use A LOT more common sense, and eliminate the zero tolerence BS.

rosepetal209

on Dec 2, 2009 at 1:25 AM

I think the bigger problem is that the "zero tolerance" rule isnt even across the board. You have one school going to far left and expelling a second grader for bring an allen wrench to school that he uses on his skateboard and another school doing nothing about a third grader bringing and using a screw driver to try to stab another student.

There should be levels to the policy. Each situation is different. Guns are a no-brainer. You bring one to school your out but an allen wrench or screw driver should evaluated depending on WHAT the kid was doing with it or intending to do with it.

Same idea when it comes to fighting. My now 17 year old daughter was expelled from school for a fight when she was 15. The other girl started it and my daughter defended herself but because my daughter ended up doing more damage to the other girl she was removed from school. My daughter was expelled for "winning" a fight that the other girl started and nothing was done to the girl that started the whole thing? Makes no sense to me.

Instead of giving in and complying with the demands of the school to "rehabilitate" my daughter with anger management classes and counseling I chose to home school her.

I have no faith in the public school system.