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Scapegoating for Columbine
Contributed by: Louise Benson on 3/11/2007

Zero Tolerance Discipline in our schools is ineffective, outdated, and harmful. How do I know? Our family was subjected to it during our son's 8th grade year, and it was the most traumatic experience of our lives. In order to find out whether our ordeal was a "necessary evil" to keep schools safe, I did extensive research on the topic, resulting in my just-published book, Scapegoating for Columbine: Collateral Damage in the War on School Violence. The answer is a resounding "NO!"

Almost every month there appears a news article about some student who said something dumb or made an innocent mistake either on or off school grounds, and is then suspended, expelled and often arrested. What ever happened to common sense?

Since Columbine, schools and law enforcement have gotten serious about preventing school violence, and Zero Tolerance Discipline was intensified. And it is appropriate to investigate any hint of trouble, but when the situation is found to be not serious, e.g., a "cry for help," or "trash talk," what purpose does harsh discipline serve? None, and a student's life can be derailed, especially by expulsion and legal charges (which are often reduced or dismissed, but are costly and extremely stressful -- trust me, I know ).

Did you know that the Secret Service has studied all school shootings, and has found that in 75% of cases, someone knew that trouble was brewing, but was afraid to tell, or hoping it wasn't serious? Other students knew that even if it wasn't serious, the troubled classmate (who had usually been bullied) would get expelled and arrested, so they decided to keep quiet. In cases of non-serious school threats, those who "told" were ostracized, because the students who "made threats" were treated overly harshly. The fact is, students who know that any incident will be dealt with fairly will be more likely to "tell."

What is the answer? Investigate, but don't overreact ! Suspension during an assessment of a threat or other misbehavior may be appropriate. But once it has been determined that an incident was non-serious, use COMMON SENSE to decide the best response: counseling, punishment , restorative justice, etc.

There are many newer discipline methods beginning to supplant Zero Tolerance. It's about time! To learn more, check out my book, Scapegoating for Columbine: Collateral Damage in the War on School Violence . Available at the Boulder Bookstore, or online bookstores in print or ebook.


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Louise Benson

Broomfield , CO

Louise Benson has posted 56 stories and 36 comments since joining on 3/11/2007. Louise Benson 's average story rating is 4.38.
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