# Schools And Their Zero Tolerance Policies... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 31, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475 "2010-03-31T17:30:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/41 "2010-04-01T16:50:06Z")
I got suspended for a week in high school for being beaten up. I was attacked by another guy while sitting in my desk, I did nothing other than raise my hands to block his punches, and I was suspended for… well, the school couldn’t really explain it, but I was perfectly happy to get a week off. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/42 "2010-04-01T16:55:29Z")
**FoieGrasIsEvil** has the right idea. Bring back capital punishment for the little shits. That’ll teach them not to bring their mobile phones and NintendoDS’s in class. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/43 "2010-04-01T17:00:36Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > …In the real world there is zero tolerance as to whether enforce laws or not but there are various degrees of punishment… Where do you live, dude? Cops let little things go all the time. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/44 "2010-04-01T17:12:00Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > **FoieGrasIsEvil** has the right idea. Bring back capital punishment for the little shits. > > That’ll teach them not to bring their mobile phones and NintendoDS’s in class. To be fair, I did in fact mean _corporal_ punishment! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/45 "2010-04-01T18:04:51Z")
As an aside, why don’t school implement these zero tolerance policies for things like getting to class on time, being quite in class, and in general acting like respectful rather than disrespectful little shits? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/46 "2010-04-01T19:40:17Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > As an aside, why don’t school implement these zero tolerance policies for things like getting to class on time, being quite in class, and in general acting like respectful rather than disrespectful little shits? Man, if little kids would get suspended for all that shit the wife and I would never be able to work! ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/47 "2010-04-01T19:53:27Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > As an aside, why don’t school implement these zero tolerance policies for things like getting to class on time, being quite in class, and in general acting like respectful rather than disrespectful little shits? They do. My high school choir was in a competition at another local high school, where I saw a notice posted about the late policy. If a child was not in his classroom by the time the first bell rang, he had to spend his first period in an office, and he would not be allowed to make up missed work. It’s completely ridiculous. They do it because they’re afraid of gangs. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/48 "2010-04-02T09:59:37Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Yep no zero tolerance rules in the real world, tell the cop that you were speeding because you were late for work and he’ll let you off with no penalty. I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not. Have you ever been let off with a warning? This has happened several times to me. For example, one night I was speeding because I was late for work. I was going 55 in a 35 at 11 PM at night. I told him I was late for work and wasn’t watching how fast I was going. The cop gave me a ticket for speeding 10 over the limit but my insurance card had expired. I had the new one at home, but that doesn’t matter it’s supposed to be in the vehicle at all times. Now, if there were a zero tolerance policy the car would be impounded for being driven uninsured and I get a ticket for going 20 over the limit, as per the letter of the law. He even told me “by law I’m not supposed to let you drive away. So I’m going to go over to my bike and we’re done here.” I just left and that was that. Later, the judge looked at my driving record and reduced my speeding ticket fine 20%. Again, zero tolerance would say I would pay the full amount whether it was my first ticket or my 50th. That’s the point I was trying to make, not that we should obey whatever laws are convenient, but that the authority should be able to mete out appropriate punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/49 "2010-04-02T15:16:43Z")
> [@Surly\_Chick](#): > > How ridiculous. I can’t count the times as a child I said, “I’m gonna kill you!” with no intention of doing any such thing. Sheesh. No kidding! With today’s policies, I would have been suspended so often I would have been essentially home schooled and I was one of the well-behaved brainy kids. And seriously, the OP’s kid imitates a line from the Wolverine movie and gets sent home for a day? At my school, you could get into a brawl and at worst they’d make you stay inside during the next recess to write lines. ---
**Author:** ![Eleasarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/779978/32.png) [@Eleasarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleasarian)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/50 "2010-04-04T19:23:59Z")
That’s how it works, isn’t it? They hit you. Repeatedly. You hit them. Once. You get suspended and yelled at. They get condolences. Then the principal slaps you and your parents finally believe that you’ve been telling them to truth for the last six years. Ah. Primary school. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/51 "2010-04-04T20:24:19Z")
> [@Eleasarian](#): > > That’s how it works, isn’t it? > > They hit you. Repeatedly. You hit them. Once. > > You get suspended and yelled at. They get condolences. > > Then the principal slaps you and your parents finally believe that you’ve been telling them to truth for the last six years. > > Ah. Primary school. Uh, what? ---
**Author:** ![Eleasarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/779978/32.png) [@Eleasarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleasarian)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475/52 "2010-04-04T20:49:10Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Uh, what? Yeah, I wasn’t “supposed to talk about it”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-and-their-zero-tolerance-policies/534475.md?page=2)