Zero Tolerance
by Kerby Anderson
Zero tolerance policies are ruining the lives of good kids. When a
school overreacts, sometimes it hurts the lives and futures of
students
who need school officials to exercise some common sense.
Consider the case of high school senior Jordan Wiser. The school found
a folding pocketknife in his car and sent him to jail. He was also
enrolled in the Army's Future Soldier Training System program but was
discharged pending a "not guilty" verdict or dropped charges. I might
mention that he had the knife because he uses it in his EMT training.
John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute was on my radio program. He
believes the school overreacted and completely mishandled the
situation. He met Jordan and can vouch for the fact that he is a good
kid. The school officials should have sat down with him and his
parents
and obtained a frame of reference. Now his dream of serving in the
Army
may be dashed.
Christian Stanfield is a 15-year-old with special needs who was
bullied
repeatedly by students. He decided to use his school-issued iPad to
record the abuse he experienced in math class. His mother brought it
to
the principal. Christian was charged and found guilty of felony
wiretapping and disorderly conduct.
Students aren't the only ones affected by misguided zero tolerance
policies. Doug Bartlett teaches second graders in Chicago. In one
class
he displayed several tools, including wrenches, screwdrivers, a box
cutter, a pocketknife, and pliers. These were visual aids for a "tool
discussion" which is required in the curriculum. When not in use, the
tools were secured in a toolbox on a high shelf out of the reach of
students. Nevertheless, he was put under investigation for
"possessing,
carrying, storing, or using a weapon" and received a four-day
suspension without pay.
These are just a few examples of zero tolerance policies that have
been
administered without common sense. Some of the charges were later
reversed, but it illustrates some of the insanity of these policies
and
the need for reform.
Listen to Kerby's Commentary
http://ncfr.net/ncfr.net/
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