The Zero Tolerance Policy
Zero Tolerance Being able to provide a safe environment for students has been a priority since school zones have become a war zone. It only took one gun shot fired at a school to cause mayhem across the country. Since this occurrence school safety has been a concern the entire educational community share. Zero tolerance is as much as an issue with people outside of school as well as the people inside. Opinions vary whether one is against this policy or not, especially psychologists and regular people in and out of school grounds. The school systems have become culprits of hate and violence. Although many believe that the zero-tolerance policy will be beneficial to all, many choose to think differently. One of the main problems surrounding
this issue is when and where to use the zero-tolerance policy. For example, the policy against a student that gives another student marijuana would be punished the same as a student who is sharing cough drops amongst the class during flu season (Jack Snowman). Professor Martinez explained how he struggles to find this fair. Throughout his fifteenth-year teaching career, he has witnessed several cases such as this and sees how policy refuses to change. “It’s as if we would compare a sexual assault crime to possession of one gram of marijuana, simply unfair”, he said. Policy has come a long way since its early years, however, it still seems to have countless flaws at hand. Martinez said that the way the school systems compare issues is simply wrong, politically wrong. If one would ever compare the question Martinez posed, then the issue at hand would come much more easily. Unfortunately, the way people go about these things usually never are due to personal experience. Personal experience would make these issues much more complex. And sadly, people have been forced to think beyond their personal occurrences, and see the picture as black and white. American psychologist Burrhus Skinner believed that positive reinforcement made it more likely for a behavior to reoccur. Zero tolerance policies did not teach these behaviors which is why Skinner was in opposition to the use of punishment (Jack Snowman). Skinner thought that students being punished this way encouraged students to keep behaving in this manner. Mr. Martinez believed in Skinner’s methods. He believed that to keep a student motivated, a positive reinforcement should be offered when performing a task. The zero tolerance policies left no room for this and therefore, to him, were a failure. “ How could we expect for our students to keep a motivated mind, and to not want to do wrong, when there is nothing at the end for them? How will we get them where we want to get them? Everybody is moved by motivation, correct?”, he asked. Motivation is what inspires everybody to do something whether wrong or right. If there is no solid reason as to why should remain good, more than likely one won’t. For many students, being expelled from school is a luxury rather than a punishment. “Kids are lazier and lazier every year, also bullying has become a scarring issue for most of my students”, Martinez says. While some children wish to have the opportunity for free education, most kids that have it take it for granted. School is a means of distraction. However, with bullying and other issues facing children and teens nowadays, being able to leave school grounds for a few days or even definitely is more appealing to them, than confrontation. “For some students, being banished from an environment that they find aversive is positively reinforcing and encourages them to continue to exhibit those behaviors that produce suspension” (Jack Snowman). Like mentioned before, school has become a rough setting for many children and teenagers. Avoidance is key when aversive settings such as these have taken a toll in a person’s life. Unfortunately, children whether avoiding school work or other unkind children, prefer a school record and chasing down a scenario where violence exists than talking to a system that has neglected the open door policy for a zero tolerance one.
this issue is when and where to use the zero-tolerance policy. For example, the policy against a student that gives another student marijuana would be punished the same as a student who is sharing cough drops amongst the class during flu season (Jack Snowman). Professor Martinez explained how he struggles to find this fair. Throughout his fifteenth-year teaching career, he has witnessed several cases such as this and sees how policy refuses to change. “It’s as if we would compare a sexual assault crime to possession of one gram of marijuana, simply unfair”, he said. Policy has come a long way since its early years, however, it still seems to have countless flaws at hand. Martinez said that the way the school systems compare issues is simply wrong, politically wrong. If one would ever compare the question Martinez posed, then the issue at hand would come much more easily. Unfortunately, the way people go about these things usually never are due to personal experience. Personal experience would make these issues much more complex. And sadly, people have been forced to think beyond their personal occurrences, and see the picture as black and white. American psychologist Burrhus Skinner believed that positive reinforcement made it more likely for a behavior to reoccur. Zero tolerance policies did not teach these behaviors which is why Skinner was in opposition to the use of punishment (Jack Snowman). Skinner thought that students being punished this way encouraged students to keep behaving in this manner. Mr. Martinez believed in Skinner’s methods. He believed that to keep a student motivated, a positive reinforcement should be offered when performing a task. The zero tolerance policies left no room for this and therefore, to him, were a failure. “ How could we expect for our students to keep a motivated mind, and to not want to do wrong, when there is nothing at the end for them? How will we get them where we want to get them? Everybody is moved by motivation, correct?”, he asked. Motivation is what inspires everybody to do something whether wrong or right. If there is no solid reason as to why should remain good, more than likely one won’t. For many students, being expelled from school is a luxury rather than a punishment. “Kids are lazier and lazier every year, also bullying has become a scarring issue for most of my students”, Martinez says. While some children wish to have the opportunity for free education, most kids that have it take it for granted. School is a means of distraction. However, with bullying and other issues facing children and teens nowadays, being able to leave school grounds for a few days or even definitely is more appealing to them, than confrontation. “For some students, being banished from an environment that they find aversive is positively reinforcing and encourages them to continue to exhibit those behaviors that produce suspension” (Jack Snowman). Like mentioned before, school has become a rough setting for many children and teenagers. Avoidance is key when aversive settings such as these have taken a toll in a person’s life. Unfortunately, children whether avoiding school work or other unkind children, prefer a school record and chasing down a scenario where violence exists than talking to a system that has neglected the open door policy for a zero tolerance one.