Examples of "zero tolerance" policies

In light of the story from Georgia about the kid being suspended for talking to his Mom in Iraq on a cell phone, I thought I'd share some examples of "zero tolerance" on public schools.

From wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_tolerance#Public_school_examples_of_unintended_consequences

In Colorado Springs, a 6-year-old was suspended under the school's zero tolerance for drugs policy when the boy gave another student a cough drop.

In another Colorado case in Greeley, three boys faced expulsion under a zero tolerance for guns policy because they were seen playing with squirt guns.

In Canada, an 8 year-old boy was suspended from his elementary school for pointing a breaded chicken finger at a classmate and shouting "Bang!"

In Alabama, an honors high-school student was expelled just days before graduating for inadvertently leaving a rifle he used on a hunting trip in the back of his truck.

Another high school student was suspended days before graduation for having a butter knife in her car. It was inadvertently left there while helping her grandmother move. She did not know that the knife was in the car, but she was barred from participating in the school's graduation ceremony.

republicans blame us for it! *I* blame those soccer moms that want bad words off TV and need a huge SUV so they won't kill their kid with their own shitty driving, and have bumper stickers declaring "my daughter can date after I'm dead". Liberals have the sense to know zero tolerence is stupid, republicans are the dumbasses that have to see everything in black and white.

How anybody thinks this is the right way to go baffles me..

Excellent examples! I find it interesting that so many people, esp. conservatives, seem to want this 'black and white' type rule of law. (ex: 'Three strikes and you're out' jail sentences; religious intolerance based on following the 'rules of the church' or the Bible (big ol' book o' rules!);'Either you're with us, or you're against us.')

What happened to the ability to make judgements based on the circumstances of the situation? By creating such absolute rules, you eliminate the need to think; the new focus, once these rules are created, becomes 'enforcement'.

So, is it intellectual laziness? I can see that once you abandon reason, faith is a pretty easy path... no thinking required! Just follow our rules, and everything will be just peachy! Get into Heaven, guar-un-teed!

Keep the electorate blindly following the rules, without questioning authority - especially during their formative years - and you create a nation of docile followers... great stuff for facists!!

The new order is appearance-only, completely facile, so that a white
racist culture can justify its murderous ways, as wolves in sheeps
clothing are known to do.... its all about appearing as a sheep
so that the wolf can do his work unfettered.

No, it's command and control, simple as that. With Zero Tolerance, it's no wonder that kids in public schools reportedly disrespect the teachers in greater relative numbers than in years past.

Zero Tolerance is the definition of disrespect. As ZT grows, so does disrespect. Zero Tolerance IS disrespect.

Let's make sure we play up every negative thing we can find about the public school system. That's exactly what conservatives want. The public school system is far from perfect, but there are many good things happening in our schools everyday.

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In Alabama, an honors high-school student was expelled just days before graduating for inadvertently leaving a rifle he used on a hunting trip in the back of his truck.


If he left a rifle in his car then maybe he wasn't as smart as his grades would make him seem.

I mean sorry, no fuckin excuses. Do NOT bring guns onto school property. Period.