You're right, 'git...this does need some work. One of those areas is meds...a student can't even keep an aspirin...or even their rescue inhalers, handy. A couple of weeks ago, I was in the front office of a middle school and a boy comes in needing his Albuterol, which to an asthmatic, is sex in a bottle. The kid's in distress and his inhaler is locked in the office vault. So, first...while this kid is standing there wheezing, the secretary has to do a look-up in the system to see what his inhaler schedule is. Seems that he's not supposed to use the inhaler more than once every 4 hours (standard stuff). Seems he had his limit that morning. Next, the secretary called the student's doctor's office. The doctor's secretary told the school's secretary that he shouldn't he using it off schedule. And the wheezing student folds and walks out.

Oh yah...he was in gym clothes!

I think this is a concept that needs a lot of work.

Among the politically correct, this tends to get out of hand way too quickly, and we have incidents of elementary school kids suspended for throwing a snowball or saying "I hate you" or trying to hug a classmate.

Lighten up a little.

This is an oxymoron. The government is posed to encourage tolerance on all aspects of life, yet not applicable in schools? Stoooopid.

THEY SAY ALL DAT SHIT BUT IT'S NEVER ENFORCED. THEY SAY THIS AND THEY SAY DAT AND NUTTINS EVER DONE BOUT IT.

 Control junkies - on the left and right - lead you on like sheep -

The USA is adopting the worst aspects of Stalinism, and some poor souls appear to be convinced it's a partisan issue.

UPDATE:

Undersized lad is called 'fag' by footballplayer in school hallway. Crew kid overhears, offers to fair-fight the bully, and meets bully in dark street where bully's parents hold him down while bully kicks him, inflicting serious injuries. Back in school next day, friend of good samaritan is overheard offering to stick up for victim and gets suspended under 'zero-tolerance' rule. No one else (including felonious adults) is charged or punished.

A kid got suspended from school over a bag of Skittles thanks to a zero tolerance policy on CANDY. Hmm...

Realisticaly it’s a public relations exercise to make parents and tax payers think that school administration is strong and decisive.  In all likelyhood the incidence of suspension or expulsion is infinitesimal 

This is about the dumbest policy yet devised in our public "education" establishment.  It is lefto political correctness run amok.  I am waiting for the political commisars to be attached to each classroom.  What will be next?  The telescreen?

Zero Tolerance does not work for many reasons.  that you are being punished period. as one poster said they are not really fair because certain groups get away with murder.Jocks, preps, PTA parents kids{ who are some of the nastiest brats in school} and there are also a lot of gray areas such as defending a kid against a bully.  too many unfair incidents of some kids getting punished no matter what and others who get away with everything. kids lying for each other etc. not fair when we throw the book at one kid and mommy and daddies angel gets away with everything. not to mention I think if there is a problem we need to look at every side of the story.

I think that the zero tolerance is a good thing.
But at the same time a bad thing.
You need chances to mess up.
We're young.
~Keely

Zero tolerance is like a lot of political correctness: it's a good idea that's been taken to the extreme. Schools probably should monitor their students more closely and watch for signs of really bad bullying. But taking away Alka Seltzer from students and suspending first graders from playing "cowboys and indians" is ludicrous. These schools are becoming gulags because of the acts of a few disturbed kids. Zero tolerance is too absolute. Somebody needs to bring some SENSE to these rules.

After working in schools for 15 years I'll tell you there is no such thing as zero tolerence. Schools are so biased it all depends on who you are or who your family is. I've seen time and time again kids bullying other kids, kids who fail drug tests and other incidents that happen regularly. If you're a super jock your failed drug test will probably disappear or be changed, same if you're a jock or prep heads are turned when you cheat on a test or school work. If you get in a fight-it's overlooked. It happens ALL the time.

When my son was in 6th grade, I came home one day and my (older) daughter told me Ben was upstairs crying, dreading my coming home as he had been suspended for fighting on the bus. Just then my neighbor, dad of a very heavy, friendly kid two years younger than Ben, who Ben was friends with, called to thank Ben for sticking up for Mike. A bully had been picking on him for being fat, calling him names, etc., Ben grabbed the kid's jacket and told him to knock it off. The bus driver suspended both boys for fighting. Called the Director of Transportation (after calling the bus driver, to no avail). Yep, those appear to be the facts, but we have a zero tolerance policy about fighting, he's suspended. Called the Elem School principal, a friend of mine, sorry, zero tolerance. Told her, Sandy, here's what I plan to do. I'll take him to work with me have lunch, etc, in an attempt to show him that I'm proud of what he did and how silly some adults and zero tolerance policies in general are. Thanks for teaching my son. We had a great day together and we both learned a very valuable lesson.

There are exceptions to every rule, and each situation is different. Therefore, all conflicts and situations in public schools should be looked at individually and a proper disciplinary action be decided upon, rather than a one size fits all mentality, which is exactly what the Zero Tolerance policy brings. It's ludicrous and goes to ridiculous lengths. An example at my own school is proof that this policy is a failure. A flathead screwdriver was found in the bed of a student's pick-up truck, and he was suspended for bringing a weapon on campus. A little extreme, wouldn't you say? Zero Tolerance is a failure, and should be eliminated, with each case being looked at separately and the best possible course of action decided upon.

These laws, rules, edicts, or what-have-you are a slap in the face to the legal tradition that has guided us so well. The idea that you can recieve the most extreme punishment for an infringment without consideration of the degree of the infringment nor of motive behind it is repulsive. The idea that degree and motive are essential elements when considering guilt and punishment go back time immemorial. Kant believed that to determine if an action is morally right one must consider the result of everyone acting in a similar fashion. If every crime was considered and punished in this fashion the very pillars of our democracy would crumble in dust and smoke. Even the introduction of these laws in public schools shows us that the republic is a shadow of its former self; after all these are our children that these zealots and fundamentalists are releasing their hell-hounds upon. Some would say that this is too small an issue to lose any sleep over...maybe they're right; but if every issue, irrespective of its scope, was held up to the democratic standards that we say we hold so dear then this country could never be extinguished.

I don't like it, but it's really to curb idiot parents more than students.

There was a time when a mistake was a chance to learn, and kids were given a few chances before we tossed them out on the sidewalk. Any policy that takes logical thought out of the equation is definitely suspect. I have no problem trusting educators to make good decisions based on case to case scenarios, and I think taking that out of their hands with 'zero-tolerance' rules only hurts the kids. There are always the exceptions that get caught in these kinds of rules, no matter how carefully written.