Aseries of schoolyard mass killings in recent years has prompted school officials and lawmakers to impose mandatory punishments for a multitude of misbehaviors, many of them seemingly minor. Proponents credit tough disciplinary policies with driving school crime rates down. But critics question their effectiveness and worry about the impact the policies are having on individual rights. And civil rights advocates say the policies are being used to kick out minority, disabled and academically challenged students who might drag down standardized test scores. But the latest school violence -- the shooting of a Michigan first-grader on Feb. 29 by another 6-year-old -- left little doubt that zero-tolerance policies will remain in force.
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CQ Researcher Zero Tolerance v.10-9 Bio(s)
K Koch, CQ Press Kathy Koch, CQ Researcher's assistant managing editor, previously served as a Researcher staff writer covering education and social issues. She also has covered environmental legislation for CQ Weekly, reported for newspapers in South Florida and freelanced in Asia and Africa for several U.S. newspapers, including The Christian Science Monitor and USA Today. She graduated in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.K Koch, The CQ Researcher Kathy Koch, CQ Researcher's assistant managing editor, previously served as a Researcher staff writer covering education and social issues. She also has covered environmental legislation for CQ Weekly, reported for newspapers in South Florida and freelanced in Asia and Africa for several U.S. newspapers, including The Christian Science Monitor and USA Today. She graduated in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |