school safety: 'zero tolerance' policies common sense? (link)
11.12.09 - abc news - by barbara pinto & devin dwyer

back in my day, when there was a fight at school, it was no big thing. a few punches would be thrown, teachers would eventually break it up & the participants would end up suspended or in detention the next day. nobody died or had an eye poked out? no big whoop. we're living in a different time now though. kids bring guns to school & shoot up the place & the buildings have metal detectors & as a result, a bunch of schools have adopted zero tolerance policies for violence in the school. you did some creative writing with a violent scene in it? who do you think you are? stephen king? time to visit the school psychiatrist, chester. welcome to the next millennium.

in chicago last thursday, administrators flexed their zero tolerance muscles when, after a food fight in the cafeteria, "more than two dozen students, ages 11 to 15, were rounded up by police, arrested and charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct." arrested? really? were they throwing knives too? abc news decided to take a look at the incident from the "are some punishments for kids too severe?" angle, wondering "why weren't the students just given detention?" zero tolerance, that's why.

cassandra russell, a thirteen-year old involved in the food fight, believes that the punishment was too severe. she told abc news that "they took us to jail, fingerprinted us, mugshotted us, or whatever, all because of a food fight...i was arrested. handcuffs on." you hear that? they mugshotted her or whatever. plus, she was suspended for three days. her mother was all "who does that? lock children up for throwing a carrot, a biscuit, milk, jello, who does that?" apparently the good people of perspectives charter middle school & the chicago p.d. do that. they don't take kindly to jello tossing. so yeah, it's a good thing that charles gibson took a bigger look at the issue. food fights should get more press. they friggin rule, or at least the ones where you don't end up in jail do.