# Zero tolerance gone amok... again!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [December 7, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631 "2004-12-07T22:32:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/41 "2004-12-08T17:50:21Z")
Oh, not entirely zero-tolerance, but still related to schools being _way_ hyper:
Tenth grade. Several months after the 9/11 attacks. They abruptly, with no explanation given at the time, had us all evacuate the buildling. The reason eventually came out: They’d found large quantities of a suspicious-looking white powder in a classroom.
On the _chalk_ ledge. Beneath a _chalk_ board.
Yeah. Missed nearly an entire day of classes because some dipshit jackass teacher (who likely is less intelligent than his faux-leather shoes are) couldn’t recognize the white powder beneath a _chalk_ board as _ **chalk dust** _!! They thought it was either some drug or anthrax. They called the police.
God, am I glad I’m forever done with public school…
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### Author:  [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/42 "2004-12-08T19:11:03Z")
I don’t understand why suspension is a standard punishment. “These kids are acting up, so let’s not teach 'em any stuff for a couple of days! That’ll learn 'em good!”
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### Author:  [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/43 "2004-12-08T19:50:35Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#):
>
> I don’t understand why suspension is a standard punishment. “These kids are acting up, so let’s not teach 'em any stuff for a couple of days! That’ll learn 'em good!”
The automatic punishment for cutting 2 entire days of school (not just a couple classes) was an automatic two-day suspension at my high school. Go figure.
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### Author:  [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/44 "2004-12-09T02:31:52Z")
Back when I was in school, which was over 20 years ago, when you were suspended you weren’t allowed to make up any assignments you’d missed during that time. You had to take zeroes and that would affect your final class grade.
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### Author:  [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/45 "2004-12-09T03:05:42Z")
Reminds me of the joke about the really dumb guy who kidnapped a bunch of homing pigeons, and sent a note to the owner: “_If you don’t send me the ransom for these homing pigeons, I’m gonna let 'em go!_”
> [@NinjaChick](#):
>
> The automatic punishment for cutting 2 entire days of school (not just a couple classes) was an automatic two-day suspension at my high school. Go figure.
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### Author:  [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2004, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/46 "2004-12-09T04:17:06Z")
That mother is an idiot. Three for a dollar? They’re eight year olds. One will get them throughly f’ed up. One for two dollars. (Tongue firmly in cheek.)
**NinjaChick** , being from your area I can totally see that (the anthrax/chalk story) happening. Sigh.
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### Author:  [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2004, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/47 "2004-12-09T09:46:41Z")
> [@dwyr](#):
>
> Back when I was in school, which was over 20 years ago, when you were suspended you weren’t allowed to make up any assignments you’d missed during that time. You had to take zeroes and that would affect your final class grade.
See, that makes even less sense. A lot of offenses that get suspension penalties are the sort commited by kids who clearly aren’t interested in education (truancy and drugs come to mind). So we punish their lack of interest by taking away more of what they’re not interested in? Seriously, what the fuck? That’s so utterly backwards it’s not even funny.
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### Author:  [@D.E.S.K.Top668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.E.S.K.Top668)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/48 "2004-12-09T15:41:08Z")
Looking back, I like the way my high school handled “suspensions” You got your assignments from your teachers, then you stayed in study hall every day for the length of the suspension. Bathroom breaks took place while regular classes were going on and you better not be caught anywhere but between study hall and the nearest restroom. At the time, I thought it was harsh, but looking back, it’s better then just cutting them loose for X amount of days.
As for the mum, if the jello did have alcohol in it, I hope they throw the book at her. Still, no reason for the school to screw up her daughters schooling for mum’s fuck-up.
Peace - DESK
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### Author:  [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/49 "2004-12-09T15:50:19Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#):
>
> When I was young, we made our jello shots with everclear.
They had jello when you were young??? 😉
AND musical accompaniment?
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### Author:  [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/50 "2004-12-09T15:56:24Z")
> [@Good Egg](#):
>
> They had jello when you were young??? 😉
> AND musical accompaniment?
You were young? We appeared fully formed and had to INVENT comparisons to whine about! 🙂
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### Author:  [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/51 "2004-12-10T01:23:34Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#):
>
> See, that makes even less sense. A lot of offenses that get suspension penalties are the sort commited by kids who clearly aren’t interested in education (truancy and drugs come to mind). So we punish their lack of interest by taking away more of what they’re not interested in? Seriously, what the fuck? That’s so utterly backwards it’s not even funny.
Well, whatever the school did was just the start. Ultimately I had to answer to my parents and they were very interested in my grades, whether I was or not.
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### Author:  [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/52 "2004-12-10T01:28:54Z")
What I’m saying is, punishing you by taking away more of your education is stupid and accomplishes nothing.
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### Author:  [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/53 "2004-12-10T07:26:00Z")
> [@Standup Karmic](#):
>
> [There’s more to the story…](http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20041207-1256-schooljell-oshots.html)
The linked story does not make it clear whether the girl believed the jello was alcoholic or was promoting the jello as an alcoholic substance. The statement from the girl that her mother works in a bar could have been made at a completely different time from when she was promoting these. If she wasn’t claiming that it would “get you wasted” or something similar, this is a completely bullshit charge.
Also, did you catch the last line?
> [@](#):
>
> The mother must also allow school officials to test her daughter’s hair for signs of drug use, Nowakowski said.
What. The. Fuck? If this _isn’t_ pointless harassment, I obviously wouldn’t recognize the real thing.
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### Author:  [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/54 "2004-12-10T19:55:22Z")
This reminds me of another knee-jerk, zero-tolerance type situation at a school a college buddy of mine wen to. Granetd, this is all anecdotal, so I don’t know if it’s 100% true, but it sounds too crazy to be made up.
During his senior year (1999-2000) the school board banned students from having water bottles. Well…ok, I can kinda see why. It could easily have vodka, gin, or another clear alcohol in it and no one would know. But that wasn’t the reason. Apparantly, osmeone on the school board had heard that using ecstasy made you dehydrated, so all these kids with waster bottles must be using ecstasy during school hours! :eek: So, obviously, if we tell them they can’t have water bottles, they won’t use ecstasy, cause they wouldn’t want to be dehydrated and not have something to drink. :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/55 "2004-12-10T22:02:38Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#):
>
> (As an aside, maybe I’m just very naive – but what drug resembles Jello?)
Methamgelatine.
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### Author:  [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/56 "2004-12-11T13:08:45Z")
> [@D.E.S.K.Top668](#):
>
> Looking back, I like the way my high school handled “suspensions” You got your assignments from your teachers, then you stayed in study hall every day for the length of the suspension. Bathroom breaks took place while regular classes were going on and you better not be caught anywhere but between study hall and the nearest restroom. At the time, I thought it was harsh, but looking back, it’s better then just cutting them loose for X amount of days.
> As for the mum, if the jello did have alcohol in it, I hope they throw the book at her. Still, no reason for the school to screw up her daughters schooling for mum’s fuck-up.
>
> Peace - DESK
This is in-house suspension and it is also usually pretty ineffective, if for no other reason than the fact that the chronically ill-behaved would rather sit in a room all day staring at a wall than attend class where they are pressured to work.
Furthermore, getting assignments doesn’t replace actual instruction. Missing instruction in a big deal, or at least it ought to be. If the teacher isn’t doing anything but assign work in class, that’s pretty crappy.
Lastly, modifying assignments for in-house suspension is a bitch for teachers. In my classroom, at least, most everything we do is in the context of an activity–my kids do things, they don’t sit there and do seatwork. Inventing seatwork that covers more or less the same goal is onerous, to say the least.
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### Author:  [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)
#### Post date: [December 11, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/57 "2004-12-11T15:03:45Z")
This is why I have my kids in private school.
Zero tolerance policies are ridiculous. There is no black and white in the adult world, it’s shades of grey. ZT policies do not teach rational thinking skills.
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### Author:  [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2004, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-tolerance-gone-amok-again/278631/58 "2004-12-12T07:31:08Z")
[Get this big brown dollop of ZT while it steams.](http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/10390856.htm?1c) A ten-year old was removed from class, handcuffed, and taken to the hoosegow because she had _scissors_ in her bookbag.
Holy arts and crafts, Batman! Does the teacher have to supervise all cutting of paper now, or do the kids chew the paper into a desired shape? Keerist on a tricycle-they act like she had a butterfly knife and was carving her initials into another student’s buttocks.
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