ZeroIntelligence.net

‘Zero tolerance’ gets a second look

Toronto public schools hand out 24,200 suspensions a year. Under the new Safe Schools Act they are up 40 percent. That means there will be suspensions for roughly 11% of the student body this year.

“We might as well open up a police precinct in some high schools in my ward, they call police so often,” Toronto Trustee Stephnie Payne has complained since the law was brought in. Payne represents schools in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood.

In response, at a series of public meetings beginning tonight, the Toronto District School Board is asking the public how the law should be applied.

…
[Trustee Chris Bolton, co-chair of the board’s Task Force on Safe and Compassionate Schools] says he has heard of “suspensions of children as young as kindergarten for fighting, and also suspensions of students who are new to Canada who may not understand the rules, or children with mild intellectual delays � all of whom have lost supports in the last few years because of budget cuts.

“We need everyone following the spirit � not the letter � of the law, which is to keep schools safe with the kids in them, not by keeping them empty.”

And just what is that zero tolerance law?

When the Tories unveiled the new Safe Schools Act three years ago, education minister Janet Ecker said it “sets out a zero tolerance for bad behaviour.”

While the Act promotes anti-bullying programs and conflict resolution plans that foster respect, civility and physical safety, it also spells out mandatory consequences for certain acts.

Now, students must be suspended and recommended for expulsion if it’s discovered they were in possession of a weapon, were dealing drugs, committed robbery, threatened or harmed someone with a weapon, committed sexual assault or physical assault causing bodily harm, or provided alcohol to minors.

Students also are to be suspended immediately for swearing at a teacher, being drunk at school, possessing illegal drugs or causing extensive vandalism.

The Toronto board has added 11 more offences punishable by suspension.

There’s an excellent reason why policies should not be legislated and Toronto is about to find out the hard way. They’ve noted problems with the Safe School Act and are making the effort to evaluate it now. Unfortunately, if the scholastic administration groups determine that zero tolerance policies are counter-effective (as they intrinsically are) they will still be bound by law to uphold them. Change can only come about by the legislators who put the laws in place and they are just as unqualified to respond as they were to Act in the first place.