Points of View

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'Zero Tolerance' Policies Becoming Sticky Webs

By GAIL MORRISON

In the wake of high profile incidents of school violence, school personnel are faced with the challenge of meeting the diverse educational and social needs of all children while maintaining safe and orderly campuses. Zero tolerance for certain offenses on school campuses, especially bringing weapons to school, has become commonplace. Unfortunately, in some schools zero tolerance policies have broadened to lesser offenses and are applied in an inflexible manner, with little thought about whether or not school exclusion is likely to help the student improve his or her behavior.

This practice has led to many students, not all of them aggressive or violent, getting caught in the web of zero tolerance. In fact, many students who are suspended or expelled from school have complex histories of school and family challenges that require comprehensive educational support rather than exclusion from school. Exclusion from class or school may actually exacerbate the student's problems.

The goal of my current research program is to provide a thorough understanding of how students come to be at odds with the school environment, and to discover how educators can capitalize on a student's natural strengths to provide experiences that will help them make a positive adjustment and avoid the web of zero tolerance. With the help of talented graduate students from the School Psychology Program of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, the research has documented educational and developmental patterns for over 200 young adolescents who are experiencing discipline problems at school.

Students in our study are not necessarily "bad" kids; rather, their negative behavior stems from struggles at home and school. Their failure at school fuels their outward attitudes that suggests to others that they "don't care" or they "won't try."

Most of these students have significant learning problems or are failing in school. Because they cannot connect successfully with the instructional program, they misbehave. They then spend hours sitting in the school office, missing out on instruction, and falling farther behind. This scenario is one example of how traditional disciplinary methods actually compound a student's problems at school.

What are the interventions that can help these students get back on track? Special efforts are often made by teachers to understand the challenges faced by students and to match their teaching strategies to the needs of the students. A student who changes schools may take advantage of the opportunity to establish a "clean slate." Parents may advocate on behalf of their child with school officials. A chaotic home environment may change and offer more stability for the student. An older sibling or adult relative may step in and help a student with homework or rally him or her to do better in school. A student may get involved in special opportunities at school (tutoring, after-school programs, sports, counseling, special education).

While zero tolerance policies provide schools a needed accountability system regarding student behavior, our findings highlight the importance of considering two factors: First, students' misbehavior is the result of a variety of stresses and risks that need to be addressed. Secondly, ordinary, or at times extraordinary, efforts by schools and families can intervene in students' lives before exclusion is necessary, helping these students manage the many constraints they face on a day-to-day basis.

Understanding and addressing a student's individual problems, together with providing support and positive alternatives, present a powerful alternative to zero tolerance exclusion from classrooms and schools.