Arizona Schools - Did They Overreact?

In the news recently, a middle school student – a 14 year old
boy, to be precise – was suspended from Arizona Schools because
of a drawing he made while sitting in class. No teacher wants to
find his or her student doodling, but must admit that not all
students will be as enamored of their subject as the teacher is.


The Arizona Schools district the boy attends has a zero
tolerance policy concerning weapons; this includes drawing them,
or even writing about them. In response to the Columbine
massacre in 1999, most Arizona Schools have some version of such
a policy in place. (Approximately 96% of all Arizona Schools
have a zero-tolerance policy.)

Understandably, schools need to send the message that it is not
okay to bring weapons to school. Nobody wants to see another
Columbine. We must do all in our power to stop the violence, and
this must include educating students about the harm an
atmosphere of fear can do. Students who go to school every day
afraid for their lives because they don't know if they'll be
attacked or not are not learning, which is the principle purpose
for attending school in the first place. Arizona Schools
understand this, and have sent the message that they will
tolerate no weapons, in any form, even on paper.

Supporters of zero-tolerance policies in place in Arizona
Public Schools (and across the nation) say that this sends the
message that the schools are concerned about the safety of their
students, and are pro-active in the education and prevention of
violence in the schools. They believe that such a policy, and
the punishments, should be on view for the world to see. They
feel that this will frighten the students into behaving
themselves.

In fact, this message conflicts with the reasons zero-tolerance
policies are in place in such systems as the ones in Arizona
Schools. Supporters believe that the fear of being punished will
"scare them straight.

Detractors to zero-tolerance policies in Arizona Schools and
elsewhere have many concerns. They worry that the policies are
unfair, rigid, create fear for students, and infringe upon a
person's right to express themselves. While it's important to
have a safe and secure learning environment, it's easy to see
that individual consideration should be given to some situations
like the one involving the student from Arizona Schools. Those
opposed to zero-tolerance policies like the one in place for
Arizona Schools object because of the probability of punishing
students who may have made mistakes, as opposed to those
planning to commit a criminal act. A 14-year-old boy (or girl)
is an enigma; peer pressure, work load at school, and wildly
fluctuating hormones are all new challenges that these young
teens have to deal with. These kids aren't known for their
excellent decision making skills; the case of the Arizona
Schools student is an example of this.

The Arizona Schools should reconsider this boy's "infraction"
and determine if he's really and truly a threat. That would send
a message that the Arizona Schools system is sensitive to the
diversity of its students.

About The Author: Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools
K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and
private K-12 schools. For more information please visit
http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Arizona/index.html

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