Zero sense: Draconian school policies.FOR 10 YEARS, social scientists have been studying the effects of "zero tolerance The policy of applying laws or penalties to even minor infringements of a code in order to reinforce its overall importance and enhance deterrence. Since the 1980s the phrase zero tolerance has signified a philosophy toward illegal conduct that favors strict imposition of " school policies, which treat any technical infraction Violation or infringement; breach of a statute, contract, or obligation. The term infraction is frequently used in reference to the violation of a particular statute for which the penalty is minor, such as a parking infraction. INFRACTION. as harshly as possible, without regard to mitigating circumstances Circumstances that may be considered by a court in determining culpability of a defendant or the extent of damages to be awarded to a plaintiff. Mitigating circumstances do not justify or excuse an offense but may reduce the severity of a charge. , the rule breaker's intentions, or proportionality. In an August report reviewing that decade of research, the American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is a professional organization representing psychology in the US. Description and history The association has around 150,000 members and an annual budget of around $70m. finds a rich legacy of bureaucratic silliness but little evidence that the rules benefit the kids they're supposed to protect. The examples of zero tolerance enforcement cited in the study include expulsions for possessing Tylenol, for having a knife in a lunchbox (placed there by Mom to cut a lunchtime apple), for talking on a cell phone (to Morn, a soldier on soldier on Verb to continue one's efforts despite difficulties or pressure duty in Iraq), and for watching other kids fight (which got 15 kids expelled in a single incident). One child spent 14 months traveling through a school's juvenile justice system for taking a lollipop from ajar in a classroom. The student thought the lollipops were meant to be there for the taking. The report found that one of the major reasons offered for no-mercy enforcement, preventing school violence, doesn't necessarily hold up: "The data have consistently indicated that school violence and disruption have remained stable, or even decreased somewhat, since approximately 1985." |
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