April 2008 — News
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Florida Bill Strikes Zero Tolerance
Extra Credit KXAN News in Austin, TX reported last week that a student in Copperas Cove High School, part of Copperas Cove Independent School District, was suspended for accepting a call from his father during class. The twist? His father was calling from Iraq, where he's presently serving in the military, and claims to have cleared it with the school's principal in advance. The student was suspended for two days, and the blemish remains on his record. More Information --D. Nagel |
A bill filed April 18 in the Florida House of Representatives aims to prevent further harm from zero tolerance policies that have caused children to be expelled and, in some cases, arrested for violating school rules. CS/HB 7087 revises state juvenile justice statutes and provisions and, among other things, strikes all references to zero tolerance in schools and specifies that students should be expelled and referred to law enforcement only for "serious criminal offenses."
Under present law, which became effective in 2001, schools in Florida, as in other states, are required to adopt zero-tolerance policies for violations of school policies that may not bear any resemblance to laws in the outside world. For example, in various states, students have been expelled and arrested for bringing butter knives to school in violation of zero tolerance against "weapons" on campuses. Some have been suspended for bringing children's vitamins to school in violation of zero tolerance on "drugs." Aside from state laws, schools throughout the country have also taken zero tolerance further by adopting non-mandated zero-tolerance policies on their own for such offenses as using cell phones on campus. (See sidebar.)
But CS/HB 7087, drafted by the House Policy & Budget Council, Safety & Security Council, and Rep. Mitch Needelman, and sponsored by seven other House members, eliminates "zero tolerance" from all provisions related to school violence and substance abuse while continuing to require schools to maintain policies for crime and victimization, as well as substance abuse.
