Zero-tolerance school rules under fire, eyed by panel

Colorado task force will examine zero-tolerance policies, the use of legal sanctions for students, and how schools interact with the juvenile justice system.

DENVER (Colorado News Agency) July 27, 2011 -- A new task force scrutinizing school discipline policies statewide dug into its work at the Capitol today with a search for alternatives to what some are calling a “school-to-prison pipeline,” said to be the result of inflexible school rules.

Critics particularly blame one-size-fits-all “zero-tolerance” policies at public schools, which they say have tied educators’ hands and are forcing too many youths into the justice system.

The task force—established under Senate Bill 11-133, sponsored by Sens. Evie Hudak, D-Arvada, and Linda Newell, D-Littleton, and Rep. B.J. Nikkel, R-Loveland—will examine not only zero-tolerance policies  in particular but also more generally the use of legal sanctions for students and how schools interact with the juvenile justice system.  After the task force—consisting of lawmakers as well as experts in school discipline—finishes its work, it will report its findings in November to the legislature with recommendations for proposed policy changes.

Newell says taking a look at discipline issues will be, “a huge step toward restoring balance and fairness to school-discipline policies in our state.” She said reform is overdue.

Critics of the status quo say zero-tolerance school-discipline policies dictate suspension and expulsion even for student behavior that in the past was handled within the school environment.

Panel member Yvette Plummer said her son, a special-needs child and a minority, is statistically at risk for becoming ensnared in zero-tolerance policies.

“I don’t want my child to become a statistic,” said Plummer.  “These kids have a higher chance of being on the school-to-jail-track.”

Panel member Libby Szabo, a Republican representative from Arvada, said the zero-tolerance philosophy too often misses the mark.

“It can be just as detrimental to over-discipline as it is to under-discipline,” said Szabo. “There are just too many instances where kids are caught up in this policy unjustifiably.”

The lawmakers discussed alternatives including restorative justice, intervention and other policies that allow for flexibility within the schools themselves. Keeping kids in school rather than suspended or expelled was the common theme.

Members of a student-advisory group also addressed the panel, saying they will be bringing their unique perspective to the meetings since they see up close the impact discipline policies have on students. They said “too many of our members are being expelled, and we think more kids should be allowed to prepare for college without a criminal record. Let’s get them off the school-to-jail track and onto the go-to-college track.”