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Atheetha Roy English 2-H Warren-2 May 23, 2008 The Dark Side of Zero Tolerance Policy

While the dictionary’s definition of the well-known word “school” is defined as "an institution for teaching and learning", today's educational institutions include punishment, violence, and misbehavior. Bullying, misbehavior or even teen violence in school, in general, is an all-too-common human activity that has existed since the beginning of recorded history and is present in most cultures. This teen violence, whether its physical like bullying or verbal such as harassment, is ignited by a intricate network of different people with distinct dislikes and likes with contrasts in popularity and of different backgrounds. In fact, social bonding within the "in-groups" is partly derived from shared power over the "out-groups." Whatever the case might be, teen misbehavior is a serious issue that schools have tried to solve. In fact, while most schools think they have adopted a revolutionary solution to alleviate the bullying issue, called the zero tolerance policy, critics, including myself, disagree with such a policy that doesn't ask questions when a rule is broken. Even the National Association of School Psychologists stated that “Although zero tolerance policies were developed to assure...firm consequences for dangerous behaviors, broad application of these policies has resulted in a range of negative outcomes with few if any benefits to students or the school community.” In other words, the Zero Tolerance policy on bullies and misbehavers not only cause academic death, but a emotional and physical strain as well. Instead of this policy, which doesn’t seem to be working, proven discipline strategies, like a mandatory therapy, that provide more effective alternatives to broad zero tolerance policies should be implemented to ensure that all students have access to an appropriate education in a safe environment. That way, the negative impacts, in terms of academics, emotions, and environment, of zero tolerance policy on misbehavers will be placated by new positive results other than the negative results of expelling and suspending students.

The Zero Tolerance Policy not only affects the school but also a student’s opportunity to learn. This is caused by the well known method of suspension that is often included in this policy. While preventing education is not the intention of zero tolerance, its practices has become a negative side effect. For instance, the frequent expelling of misbehavers from school, particularly bullies, causes them to miss school for a period of time and thus they miss out on learning which is a key ingredient to be academically success. Also, research has shown that, “Over 30% of sophomores who dropped out of school had been suspended, a rate three times that of peers who stayed in school” With high drop out rates of just suspended students alone, it is no wonder that these drop out rates were contributed by the strict Zero Tolerance Policy application of school discipline practices. As a result, many expelled students have less-than-stellar academic records and less opportunity to be successful in their future ambitions. This policy is also detrimental to education because while Zero tolerance can limit misbehavior in the present, it can also hurt students' idea of school. For instance, by “kicking” a student out from academic learning without telling them what they could do to improve their situation, student’s automatically learn to program their minds with negative thoughts about the school. For example, “A 1994 study showed that students who were suspended and expelled believed that their school no longer wanted them “ With thoughts like these, they are likely to end upon the streets far from their academic environment. and be encouraged to engage in violent acts even on the school itself. While others might think that expelling students will create a better educational environment for the rest of the students, research have show that “schools that implement zero tolerance policies are still less safe than those that do not.” In other words, zero tolerance policy is not creating many positive results on academics and therefore alternative solutions should be implanted to placate these negative results that the Zero Tolerance Policy is having.

The zero tolerance policy is not only having an academic death on the expelled, but it might also be evident that frequent suspensions are impacting the student emotionally. For example, by reinforcing the Zero Tolerance Policy, it only further heightens the student’s shame, alienation, rejection, and further breaks from healthy childhood bonds. This might create, enhance, or accelerate negative mental health outcomes for youth. Students also experience real suffering that can interfere with their social and emotional development, as well as their school performance to a point where it is linked to an increase in life-threatening behavior like suicidal attempts. In fact, by expelling kids, it lowers their self esteem and makes them think that there is no point in continuing life. For instance, a student named “Eugene Cummings, then twenty-three...committed suicide at Harvard's Stillman Infirmary the day he learned he was being expelled, three weeks before graduation” due to the zero Tolerance policy.” In cases like these, the policy causes emotional trauma to an extend where the student feels emotional detachment as well as violent outbursts, depression, low self-esteem, loss of self-confidence. In fact, “If that is not being addressed, they are angry and hurt and wounded, and it comes out in one of two ways, through self-hate, cutting and drug abuse, or criminal behavior.“ In other words, these emotions are the key contributors to the recent increased crimes outside of school zones. In the end, from innocent little children to expelled teenagers who had just need some attention with having made some bad decisions, the zero tolerance policy had not only drained them emotionally, but also transformed them into completely different people. Therefore, the Zero Tolerance policy doesn’t seem to prove effective to an extend where alternative solutions need to be enforced in order to stop the negative impacts it is having on the young generations of the future. Besides the academic “death” and emotional drain that the Zero Tolerance Policy is responsible for, the policy is also having environmental effects. For example due to the dropout rates as discussed before, many young people are left on the streets and homeless, unemployed or, if lucky, have a mere high school diploma for low income jobs. Also, it encourages an increased crime rate ranging from young teens to young adults as a result of nothing better to do due to expulsions in the Zero Tolerance Policy. What started from a “simple suspension” of misbehaved students in the opinions of many school, turned out to have crucial environmental effects on the society itself. These expelled student not only contribute to the low standard of living, but they also reduce the profile of that society .

Over 30% of sophomores who dropped out of school had been suspended, a rate three times that of peers who stayed in school” http://coe.ksu.edu/ucea/2006/McCrayUCEA2006.pdf

http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2006/02/28/News/Ugly-People.More.Likely.To.Commit.Crimes.Study.Shows-1640928-page2.shtml “If that is not being addressed, they are angry and hurt and wounded, and it comes out in one of two ways, through self-hate, cutting and drug abuse, or criminal behavior.“

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Court_of_1920 Eugene Cummings, then twenty-three...committed suicide at Harvard's Stillman Infirmary the day he learned he was being expelled, three weeks before graduation

http://www.nationalcenter.org/P21NVThompsonViolence600.html schools that implement zero tolerance policies are still less safe than those that do not.”

A 1994 study showed that students who were suspended and expelled believed that their school no longer wanted them “

http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/issues/zerotolerance/facts.html

academic #1- http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/zt_fs.aspx zero tolerance policies are ineffective in the long run and are related to a number of negative consequences, including increased rates of school drop out and discriminatory application of school discipline practices.

emotional #1 Children who are bullied experience real suffering that can interfere with their social and emotional development, as well as their school performance Some victims of bullying have even attempted suicide rather than continue to endure such harassment and punishment.

Although zero tolerance policies were developed to assure consistent and firm consequences for dangerous behaviors, broad application of these policies has resulted in a range of negative outcomes with few if any benefits to students or the school community. http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/zt_fs.aspx

In fact there is significant research that indicates that zero tolerance does not work, and some studies indicate that schools that implement zero tolerance policies are still less safe than those that do not. http://www.djj.state.fl.us/blueprint/documents/ftmyers/zerotolerance_NCCD10-11.pdf