Creating a safe, secure learning environment has long been a high priority for high-school principals. Today's principals battle numerous federal and state laws, mandated zero-tolerance policies, and police involvement that remove them as key decision-makers. Security measures must be comprehensive, cooperative, and consistent. (MLH)

Students of color are more likely to be suspended and/or drop out. Tackling racial inequity requires a strong, knowledgeable, and determined administrator to gather relevant information, ask tough questions, observe behaviors, state intentions, monitor expectations for minority kids, build relationships, establish zero-tolerance policies, and…

Administrators risk serious legal challenges when failing to recognize and respond to gang activity; enhance staff knowledge of gang identification/management techniques; establish policies and procedures; report suspected activities to police; pursue conflict mediation; include gang issues in class discussions; follow up on threats; or develop a…

School suspensions are commonly used in schools to address challenging student behaviours, often on the understanding that suspensions send a clear message to the school community about what is acceptable behaviour. However, there is a growing body of evidence that school suspensions have a range of unintended negative consequences including…

Significant numbers of students are being pushed out of school as a result of "zero tolerance" school discipline policies. While nobody questions the need to keep schools safe, teachers, students, and parents are questioning the methods being used in pursuit of that goal. Initially enacted to counter violent behavior and drug use, zero tolerance…

Large nationally representative samples of White, Black, Hispanic, Asian American, and American Indian students were used in this study to examine current patterns and recent trends in racial, ethnic, and gender differences in school discipline from 1991 to 2005. Findings revealed that Black, Hispanic, and American Indian youth are slightly more…

Despite the controversies that it has created in school districts throughout the country, zero tolerance continues to be a widely used response to school disruption and violence. This paper explores the history, philosophy, and effectiveness of zero-tolerance school disciplinary strategies. Growing out of Reagan-Bush-era drug-enforcement policy,…

So far the courts have supported most schools' zero-tolerance policies--even those banning toy weapons, over-the-counter drugs, and unseemly conduct. However, wide-ranging get-tough policies can draw criticism. Policy experts advise school boards to ask the community, decide what people want, allow some wiggle room, create an appeals process,…

Describes community reaction to an elementary school principal's decision to suspend a boy for brandishing an unloaded pellet gun at a classmate. The aftermath stretched out for six months, and both the unabashed perpetrator and his traumatized victim transferred to other schools. Alternative crisis-management strategies are offered. (MLH)

Because bullying affects school climate, schools and parents must address it by collaboratively developing guidelines for zero tolerance, effective monitoring, well-publicized consequences, and supports for the parents of both victims and aggressors. (SK)

Reviews research on the impact of zero-tolerance policies on student behavior and achievement. Concludes that policies are generally ineffective and often counterproductive. (Contains 14 references.) (PKP)

As far as schools are concerned, there are three kinds of safety: physical, emotional, and intellectual. Excellence demands all three, while "good enough" schools are simply physically safe. How can parents and others determine whether a school is physically safe? It's always good to find out how many students were suspended at a particular…

The present study examined how public school administrators negotiate discipline policies that are intended to protect the common good and the educational rights of students with disabilities. We investigated the political nature of these decisions and the strategies used in reaching them through interviews with administrators in 9 public high…

Virtually no school is safe from violence. FBI statistics, which show that juvenile crimes actually peaked during the mid-1970s, are at odds with the public perception that crime rates among young people are at an all-time high. The FBI acknowledges, however, that the crimes committed by young people tend to be more serious than in the past, and…

In 1996, after years of decline, alcohol-related crashes involving youth between 15 and 20 years old increased by nearly 5%. The estimated medical, monetary, and lost quality-of-life costs associated with injuries in crashes of young drivers are staggering. Policymakers are being called upon to address the problem of underage drinking and…