Schools Ease Zero Tolerance Suspension Policies

Matthew July 31, 2012 at 07:47 pm

This is such a charade. They are changing the rules so fewer minorities get suspended. What is going to happen is already going on this summer. Schools not disciplining children and these children realizing it and taking over. We are sacrificing our schools, teachers and students. Going to be a bad year for BCPS as these chickens will come home to roost.

Nikki Marlatt-Young July 31, 2012 at 08:43 pm

Not really too shocked! Now there will be no difference between our school system and our Justice System. Kids will learn to do what they want because you will walk away with only a slap on the wrist, just like the Justice System.

Chuck July 31, 2012 at 08:54 pm

This is proof positive why we need an elected school board.

M. Sullivan July 31, 2012 at 09:08 pm

Kids are like animals, if you tiptoe around them and don't exhibit the willingness to discipline bad behavior, they will lose all respect for any authority and get out of control. This sounds like the school board is reverting back to some touchy-feely nonsense from the 70's that never worked then and will work even less today.

K Blue July 31, 2012 at 09:21 pm

It appears that I stand alone in thinking that this is a good idea. Does anyone remember the incidents where the students were suspended for possessing lacrosse stick repair items (lighter, knife) and the student who was suspended for possessing pepper spray (because she was physically assaulted en route to school and needed to protect herself for further assault)? There really needs to be some discretion permitted. In-school detention, rather than suspension, is a viable option.

Windriver July 31, 2012 at 09:54 pm

I see points in all the comments but... nothing is worse than a "one size fits all" policy with no individual case flexibility. A 9 year old who draws a picture of his Marine brother in Iraq holding his M16 because he misses him does not deserve to be treated the same way as a 9 year old who brings in his older brother's 9mm because he left it out. Only one should be disciplined at all. The other should be thanked for the courage of his brother.

Nikki Marlatt-Young August 1, 2012 at 12:09 am

KBLUE... If students have pepper spray or a lighter for reasons to protect themselves or to fix sports equipment there is no reason for them to have those items in clear view on school grounds! For the lacrosse stick fixing I'm sure ythe coach would have allowed that student to keep such items in his office. For the pepper spray that parent should have gone to the school with her fear of walking home.... Or if it was my child I would be picking her up! No Excuses for Rule Breaking!!!

Nikki Marlatt-Young August 1, 2012 at 12:11 am

I've never heard of someone being suspended for drawling... What school was that?

K Blue August 1, 2012 at 04:05 am

Nikki, those boys with the repair items were suspended and their college applications affected merely because they had them in their gear bags. The girl with the pepper spray did not have a parent available to walk her to school as many do not. These arent excuses. They are zero tolerance casualties. In the case of the boys, there should be a clear written policy about permitting those items in certain places with prior permission in a locked bag OR a clear written policy that such items will be permitted if they are given to the coach, trainer, etc. or checked in with the principal or coach before school and practice. As for the pepper spray, there should be a clear written policy that any student who had the need to bring such an item to school should check it in with the principal's office upon arrival and check it out upon dismissal. We permit students to bring cell phones for communication & safety issues, but not use them unfettered during school hours.

Johnny Yuma August 1, 2012 at 01:33 pm

How about a common sense approach? Case by case. To have a zero tolerance policy and not look at the totality of the circumstances for each incident is ridiculous. @ Nikki: Google "suspended for drawing a picture"

Windriver August 1, 2012 at 01:38 pm

Nikki, google CHILD SUSPENDED FOR DRAWING A GUN and see all the stories.

Windriver August 1, 2012 at 01:43 pm

Student suspended for sketching gun The Arizona Republic Aug. 22, 2007 12:4PM
7-year-old suspended over stick-figure drawing Complaint about image depicting 'water pistol' leads to disciplinary action There is more as well.

Bart August 1, 2012 at 02:20 pm

It's about time to do away with zero tolerance. Some kids get branded for no real reason. Common sense should prevail.
There are far too many incidences of kids being unjustly punished for ridiculous things.

Timmy August 1, 2012 at 02:34 pm

I wonder how many of these comments come from people within the education system? If you allow students to break the rules the will abuse it. The moment you dont suspend a student for breaking a rule you are setting the stage for other kids to follow suit. Doing away of zero tolerance is the first step towards zero accountability

LCA August 1, 2012 at 02:37 pm

Unfortunately we have decided that statistics take precedence over common sense and what is right...the fact of the matter is minority students have committed more violations to school policy. This is a fact, everyone knows it, it is the elephant in the room. We must stop giving excuses and start holding people responsible for their actions. The zero tolerance policy was designed in part to hide this fact (that more miorities were "in trouble" at school). Now, having said that, should common sense prevail? Of course it should, every incident should be viewed in its entirety, to include past history of all students involved, as well as which student instigated the event (if that criteria applies), and any extenuating circumstances which precipitated the event, then a decision should be made as to the disciplinary action taken.

K Blue August 1, 2012 at 03:26 pm

Thanks Evets. I was not aware that Talbot County did not employ a zero-tolerance policy at the time of that incident, but I still stand by my opinion that discretion rather than zero tolerance is the better course presuming of course that those with the authority exercise reasonable discretion and diligence, something that I feel was not done in that incident.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-lacrosse-suspensions-20110510,0,2491606.story

Carolann August 1, 2012 at 03:43 pm

I am inside the educational system. I've spent 80% of my career in what is considered "Bad" schools. My question is, how will principals be judged or treated if their suspention rates go up ? I've worked in buildings where principals feared the concequences of an elevated suspention rate and I've worked in others where the principals were demonized for suspending dangerous students for the safety of staff and students. I've seen students suspended in "better schools" for saying "Son of a Birch" because it was like a curse. A highly decorated, ROTC student had a Multitool in his backpack-an ex girlfriend told an administrator about it- because it had a knife, he was suspended and had criminal charges filed (dropped). Or when a young man threw a 4 inch metal clamp at another student and caused injury to that student and that student reacted by tackling the boy to prevent him from throwing more things at other students, the administration suspended the victim for fighting. The parent appealled to the Area Super and was told that due to Zero Tolerance, there was nothing he could do. Those items were "Zero Tolerance Policy Results". If we trust our principals, than we should allow them the power to decided what is best for their school, their population. They are the ones, along with the teachers, that know the kids and can make more informed decisions. If a parent is unhappy with the decisions, there are ways to have that decision reviewed already in place.

Bon August 1, 2012 at 05:23 pm

Suspensions sometimes are a joke.In the middle and highs school level,kids know what to do to get suspended.It is a mini vacation for them,they sleep all day,play video games or cause trouble in communities.This is what happens when parents have to work.They need to bring back in-school detention and in-school suspension. The county throws up the dreadful words "not in the budget",it should not be up to teachers to do this during their plannng time. If they are going to change the policy then ,then they need to implement other alternatives.When my kids were in school,in-school suspension meant make-up work,book reports,or busy work and lunch in the same room...you never left except to use bathroom.The kids now a days know how to play the system.

JD1 August 1, 2012 at 09:46 pm

Keep in mind - this policy is not about zero tolerance and preventing the suspension of good kids for bringing a cub scout knife to school. Those incidents are few and far between. This policy keeps kids in school who are chronically disruptive or get involved in frequent physical altercations. Instead of sending them home to watch tv and smoke pot, the policy keeps them in school where they can be supervised. This makes the parent(s)/ guardians of the disruptive kids happy because the school provides supervison and day care at no cost. If the kids were home unsupervised, this would cause problems for the "parent.". There is NO concern for maintaining a safe and orderly environment in the school. It's about keeping minority kids and kids from crappy homes in school. They might sit in in-school suspension or simply serve a few after school detentions - at any rate, principals will not be suspending kids for anything except extreme violations such as weapons or assault on staff (maybe). It's a shame and more evidence that we need more really good alternative schools that can provide intensive levels of services for troubled kids so they get what they need and don't disrupt the learning of other kids. Of course, this makes sense and would require planning, money and qualified staff. It's a lot easier to say the right things like "principal discretion" that sound great to the largely uninformed and uninvolved general public.

Matthew August 1, 2012 at 10:06 pm

Yeah, there is a fundamental misunderstanding of what is going on here. Please, do not buy the crock of bull that the system is selling on this.
It isn't about 'zero tolerance'. It's about relaxing required suspensions and encouraging schools not to suspend so that we look better in the eyes of those who really don't matter. If you are a parent of a student who plays by the rules, is worried about their education, and is never a problem, this should absolutely frighten you. What this means is that the kid who is chronically disruptive is going to be allowed to be chronically disruptive because, as a problem student, they are more important than your child. Bottom line. Shameful and cowardly.

Parkvillehoney August 2, 2012 at 02:51 am

What happened to detention for misdeeds in school. 12 years ago, my son received after school detention for minor misdeeds at Loch Raven High and he hated it! I think suspension should be school based, student stuck in 1 room, no friend interaction, and only used in severe cases of misconduct. Bring back after school detention. I would be glad to have the teacher receive extra pay to sit in for after school detention.

Chuck August 2, 2012 at 04:09 am

Matthew, you are right on the money. While some parents are distracted by lack of air conditioning in Baltimore County schools, this is much larger issue. Students safety in a learning enviorment should NEVER be compromised to make numbers look good.

Parkvillehoney August 4, 2012 at 04:57 am

Evets, I'm sorry to hear that the school system has gone downhill since my sons went to a county high school. I believe the parents are at fault, if their kids should have detention and parents try to get their kids out of it. I had to leave work early to P/U my son from detention, but that is part of being a responsible parent. These same parents are going to worry why their "little darlings" turn out to be criminals or 'losers" in life. Thank God I forced my sons to suffer the consequences of their actions. My sons learned quickly and are very responsible and successful today.

Parkvillehoney August 4, 2012 at 05:05 am

Evets, I can see why many parents sacrifice themselves to put their children in a private school. I was very fortunate that Baltimore County had great principals and teachers when my sons graduated over 12 years ago. I worry about my grandchildren if they go to Baltimore County schools. Maybe private schools will have to be in their future.

mommaof sy August 5, 2012 at 12:27 pm

Yikes! I am not looking forward to a new school year teaching at a new school this year with this in effect. It will be very interesting to see how this pans out. Everyone that has written in has a good point.

JD1 August 11, 2012 at 12:43 am

The BS has already started - the new discipline code has been issued. In each case, Category 1,2 and 3 all state that the behavior "may" result and not "shall" result in suspension. This includes arson, sexual assault, fighting, assault on a staff member and theft. These behaviors always resulted in suspension in the past AS THEY SHOULD! On the surface, this means that principals use their "discretion" on how to proceed. What this really means is that he principal "shall not" suspend kids if he/she wants to keep the job. Just wait, by December DD will be waving the " look how our suspensions have dropped" flag and the uninformed public will be so impressed. What this really means is that disruptive and dangerous behaviors have remained the same or worse - the big change is that behaviors that used to result in suspension will result in after school detentions or other slaps on the wrist.

Michael August 11, 2012 at 01:30 am

The whole "zero tolerance" policy was BS anyway, since administrators used their discretion to handle incidents anyway. My son is a student in BCPS and was physically bullied by a much larger student in his grade on multiple occasions. The principal only stepped in to stop the bullying when I threatened to involve the police the next time this child touched my son. The child was never suspended, never disciplined, just warned to stop the behavior.

Michael August 11, 2012 at 02:28 am

The first time, I asked the principal to resolve it, the second time, I threatened to involve the police. It is the schools responsibility to "police" what happens on their property. It should not be mine to call them out for failing this responsibility.
I am a former police officer, and my choice to not involve them, and instead force the school to do it's job has more to do with understanding the case load that a police officer working a patrol area has to handle than anything else. A complete understanding of the juvenile justice system and it's failings also makes it difficult for me to involve the police in a minor assault that the school should be addressing.

Michael August 11, 2012 at 02:32 am

And further, your contention that it is not the school's responsibility to protect my child, is incorrect. We entrust our children to the school "safe" environment every day to be educated. It is the school's responsibility to maintain that "safe" environment and remove anything or anyone that threatens it.