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Randy Cassingham's BlogHistorical Details and Author's Notes from This is True®
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Zero Tolerance Thwarted by Common Sense
The first story in True about "zero tolerance" appeared in February, 1997, and I started railing about the concept soon after. It took about 10 years before I starting noticing other columnists editorializing against ZT.
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I'm surprised it took that long, since the cases are so ridiculous -- and so sustained, rather than an aberrant "here and there" sort of thing. Well, the pressure is starting to build. It's not just the Savanah Redding school-strip-search case, which should be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court any day now, but case after case after case after case.
One state has had enough of it. A state that gets more than its share of story write-ups in True: Florida. Gov. Charlie Crist went to a high school in Jacksonville, Fla., to sign Senate Bill 1540, which requires school boards to revise their zero tolerance policies to have
"It doesn't punish those who should not be punished," Crist said. I've long called for schools to punish actual bad behavior, like having real guns and drugs in schools. Yet all over the country, kids are being expelled for drawing pictures of guns (nevermind that there are pictures in their textbooks of guns) or sharing candy ("facsimile drugs!!" -- yeah, right). The Florida bill had no opposition in the House or Senate, which only goes to show just how stupid ZT is when it's examined with an open mind. Congratulations to "Flor-i-duh" for getting it right. May the rest of the states quickly follow.
True's first ZT story: Nailed.
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Most Recent Comments
Posted by Mike from Dallas on June 23, 2009:
Laws are written to define what is unacceptable and penalties to be applied when it happens. And they consider various levels of unacceptability. I know, I'm stating the obvious, but wait, there's more.
A lot of people think a law will eliminate a crime, or at least reduce it to near elimination. So they get frustrated when they hear of an incident that slipped through. What's the reaction? Get tougher! Throw the book at 'em. Make an example of them. That'll show everyone else. Bring a gun to school? Put 'em in prison. Talk about guns in school? Put 'em in prison. Watch TV shows at home that involve guns? Put 'em in prison. Think about guns? Put 'em in prison.
Put everyone in prison, no matter how petty the offense. That'll show 'em we're tough on crime and the rest will think twice. Unfortunately, history (including our own in America) demonstrates that the tougher the oppressor, the more determination on the part of the oppressed to rise up and strike back, even if just in anger and retaliation.
Okay, so I'm being somewhat overly dramatic. (Not much considering so-called 'mandatory minimum sentences' being passed these days.) But substitute 'prison' with 'expulsion' or 'suspension'. And then school authority, who uses no thought or logic, wonders why the kids reject the authority.
While kids are NOT just miniature adults, effective management of adults is very similar to effective management of children. It might be more effective for schools to learn how to manage than simply herd their charges.
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And isn't that exactly what we pay them professional-level wages to do? If they're not going to do their jobs professionally, then we shouldn't be paying them those high wages. -rc
Posted by Sean from Canada on June 23, 2009:
It is sadly surprising that someone has finally acted in a sensible manner. "Zero Tolerance" is the absence of judgement - the prohibition of thought - and as such, it is by definition stupid. I wish people acting against stupidity was less surprising - perhaps it will be less surprising in the future....
Posted by Rick, Twin Falls on June 30, 2009:
ZT only applies to some. New York City is paying 700 teachers who have been accused of offenses from sexual misconduct on up, their full salaries ($70K) to "sit in a room and do nothing", because "it is extremely difficult to fire a tenured teacher".
Do the math.