This book presents the views of educators, intellectuals, students, and community activists to show that most students expelled from schools under new disciplinary measures are sent home for nonviolent violations; that the rush to judge and punish disproportionately affects black and Hispanic students; and that the new disciplinary ethos is…

Schools are legally obligated to protect students from injury, report child abuse, and curtail harassment and hate crimes. Educators' duties to maintain safe school environments often conflict with students' constitutionally protected rights governing expression, appearance, unreasonable searches, and due process regarding zero-tolerance policies…

This policy brief discusses the impact on students with disabilities of educational reforms that emphasize higher academic standards for all students and zero tolerance policies to make schools safe learning environments for all students. The public's demand for higher standards and safe environments is also explored. The development of academic…

Examines U.S. public schools' changing demographics and their effects on barriers to equal opportunity for racial and ethnic minorities. Disabilities of poverty, inadequate income, denied access to shared American values, and collective discrimination obstruct these groups' high educational attainment. Equity plans and monitoring must eliminate…

Educator violence against students (verbal and physical assaults and the undermining of students' constitutional rights) erodes rather than enhances school safety. Unnecessarily harsh disciplinary practices create a violence-prone climate mirroring U.S. society--the most retributive of Western nations. Democratic classroom practices can help…

As required by Tennessee law, this report examines the state's zero-tolerance disciplinary data collected by the Tennessee Department of Education for school years 1999-00, 2000-01, and 2001-02. The first section displays statewide zero-tolerance statistics. The second section focuses on the zero-tolerance statistics of Tennessee's five major…

Recent Ontario governmental policy proposals related to university governance and autonomy were based on an articulated need by various groups for zero tolerance of harassment. The paper critiques the proposals as a threat to many aspects of university integrity and academic freedom. The paper notes implications perceived for the erosion of…

Throughout the United States, schools most frequently punish the students who have the greatest academic, social, economic, and emotional needs. An examination of which students are most likely to be suspended, expelled, or removed from the classroom for punishment, reveals that minorities (especially Blacks and Latinos), males, and low achievers…

This paper discusses ways that educators can develop a variety of school-based programs that can significantly reduce the threat of serious violence and disruptions. An effective technology of school safety, it states, begins with knowledge and understanding. The purpose of the paper is to outline the current state of knowledge about…

Thirty-eight Latin American mothers with young children tell of their perceptions of school discipline and comportment issues and talk of their children's encounters with "zero tolerance" legislation, and related rules for conduct, implemented by the local school boards. The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand: (a)…

In this book, the author offers the best ideas and most workable discipline practices from more than 1,000 school leaders. The book is loaded with updates and gives administrators all the tools they need to create a safe environment, from dealing effectively with the 5% of students who take up 90% of their time, to creating a positive public image…

This report contends that public school administrators no longer rely on literal interpretations of states' and districts' zero tolerance policies and overzealously promote safety, inventing creative interpretations of the laws and using them to suspend and expel children based on relatively minor offenses. Minority students are disproportionately…

The United States armed forces adopted "zero tolerance" policies concerning illicit drug use in 1980, and later developed policies to discourage tobacco and alcohol abuse. This paper examines drug use among young active-duty recruits both before and after enlistment, compared with non-military age-mates. It also documents historical shifts in such…

In a survey commissioned by the Hamilton Fish Institute, Education Law Center (ELC), surveyed key national education stakeholder groups to determine their position on zero tolerance student discipline policies and school safety, and whether the organizations are involved in any work on zero tolerance policies. Implementation of these policies is…

Many children have inappropriate behaviors that are part of their disability. These behaviors may make it difficult to learn, cause harm to the child or others, or isolate a child from his or her peers. Some children have behaviors that they can't control, such as tics for a child with Tourette syndrome or self-harming behaviors for some children…