9486 in the collection
Broward schools debate Zero Tolerance policy
Ohanian Comment: The union position is wrong, wrong, wrong. I remember eons ago when teachers in my middle school complained about not having a discipline policy that set up rules. They said they wanted consistency. I said, "Be careful what you wish for."
I know in my bones that when students get into a fight of misbehave in other ways, teachers and administrators should decide if it warrants suspension. Yes, but I always regarded suspension as evidence of the school's failure. And certainly calling the police should be reserved for truly criminal behavior, not juvenile highjinks or squabbles.
So now administrators want to reduce the number of students arrested under the Zero Tolerance Rule, and the teachers union objects--in the name of consistency. Surely, common sense and compassion are a lot more important than consistency.
By James H. Burnett III
As the new school year gets underway, Broward school principals say too many children are getting criminal records for what used to be considered mischievous behavior in the classroom, so they are looking for alternatives to the controversial Zero Tolerance discipline policy.
More than 1,000 Broward public-school students were arrested last school year for relatively minor infractions -- 66 percent of which resulted in misdemeanor charges.
Meanwhile, the students often are suspended until their legal cases are resolved.
Principals took up the issue at a recent gathering of Broward Schools' Summer Leadership Academy at Cypress Bay High School -- a three-day training marathon for principals and other administrators. In an effort to keep students in school and spare them from getting criminal records, local and state law enforcement officials also were on hand to discuss alternative ways of discipline.
While most of the principals agreed with the authorities, they expressed concern that harried teachers are already stretched to the limit and would not buy into more in-house discipline.
The Broward Teachers Union is skeptical of any efforts to give principals more power to customize discipline to each school, said John Ristow, spokesman for union president Pat Santeramo.
"Our position is that Broward Schools have a discipline matrix that was developed with both administrative, teacher, and parent input. And we believe that matrix should be followed consistently," Ristow said.
In the 2009-2010 school year, police referred 1,033 Broward County students to the State Attorney's Office for misdemeanor misconduct on school grounds. That's an increase of 161 students over the prior school year.
Miami-Dade police referred 787 students to the State Attorney's Office for misdemeanors last school year, and 784 the year before.
For more serious behavior violations, Broward law enforcement officers referred 536 students last school year to the state attorney for consideration of felony charges, and 529 in the 2008-2009 school year. Officers in Miami-Dade referred 657 felony cases to prosecutors last school year, and 630 in 2008-2009.
EXAMPLES
Broward prosecutor Kalvar Evans lamented the number of times he has had to charge students arrested for "things that might have gotten them detention in the past."
Evans recalled a student arrested and referred to his office for throwing or blowing spit balls in class.
Another student was arrested for tearing a poster hanging on the wall in a classroom.
The state's Zero Tolerance policy forced Evans to charge that boy with destruction of school property.
"There are obvious circumstances that call for police involvement," Evans said. Otherwise, he said to the principals, "We want to help you exercise your own good judgment to deal with minor issues on your own."
Gordon Weekes, Broward's executive assistant public defender, asked principals to also consider the long-term effects of Zero Tolerance.
"There are a lot of issues you guys may not consider -- whether a child who acts out just found out his family home is in foreclosure, or whether he's got some other problem that is affecting his ability to focus," said Weekes, whose office has defended some of the students.
"Think about what having a record in the justice system does to a student's family."
Last year, Florida Rep. Perry Thurston (D-Fort Lauderdale), co-authored legislation that gave school districts statewide more leeway to discipline students "in-house" and apply Zero Tolerance on an as-needed basis.
If the strict discipline policy had been applied when he was in grade school, he could have been arrested several times for getting in scuffles with buddies, Thurston said.
"And I was a good kid," he added, to laughs.
ARBITRATION
"My point is when two kids are in a fight, if there are not serious injuries, maybe that principal and that teacher and the parents can have an arbitration session. Make the two kids sit and talk to one another about what prompted the fight. Let's work these things out and not immediately turn to arrest as an answer."
While there should be no legal wiggle room for some infractions, minor violations probably could be better resolved by working with parents on old-fashioned punishments like detention or in-school suspensions, said Broward Sheriff's Office Capt. John Nesteruk, who oversees BSO's School Resource Officer program.
Christine Flynn, principal at Deerfield Beach Middle School, supports alternatives to Zero Tolerance, even though her school made national headlines recently after two crimes left the community reeling.
Last spring, an angry classmate beat and stomped 15-year-old Josie Lou Ratley nearly to death on campus.
And last fall, several Deerfield Beach Middle students set a classmate, Michael Brewer, afire as punishment, police say, for telling investigators about an attempted theft.
Still, Flynn said she was happy with efforts to revamp and tone down Zero Tolerance, because "there really is room for compassion."
— James H. Burnett III
Miami Herald
2010-08-22
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/22/v-fullstory/1787655/schools-debate-punitive-actions.html#ixzz0xR8H58gC
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
[1] 2 3 4 5 6 Next >> Last >>
