The concept of zero tolerance dates back to the mid-1990s when New Jersey was creating laws to address nuisance crimes in communities. The main goal of these neighborhood crime policies was to have zero tolerance for petty crime such as graffiti or littering so as to keep more serious crimes from occurring. Next came the war on drugs. In federal…

Following the National Alliance of Safe Schools' recommendations, a suburban New Jersey school district developed a successful school/police liaison program, issued photo ID cards, and initiated a "safe haven," zero-tolerance substance abuse policy. The district metes out immediate, serious penalties for violations, but also teaches…

School officials should adopt no-tolerance policies that require educators' discretion in punishing misbehaving students (based on due process and fundamental fairness), rather than relying on the zero-tolerance approach, which fails to differentiate among different levels of offenses. Even disruptive students deserve due process and appropriate…

Zero-tolerance policies have had no appreciable effect on reducing violence, have had an adverse effect on African American students, and are receiving mixed reactions in the courts. Effective solutions are seen as improving overall school climate to guide school operations related to student discipline. (Contains 13 references.) (MLF)

Examines U.S. public schools' changing demographics and their effects on barriers to equal opportunity for racial and ethnic minorities. Disabilities of poverty, inadequate income, denied access to shared American values, and collective discrimination obstruct these groups' high educational attainment. Equity plans and monitoring must eliminate…