Zero Tolerance in Schools

We all remember April 20, 1999, the day two heavily armed high school students killed 13 people at Colorado's Columbine High School before taking their own lives. In the weeks that followed, many tough questions were raised: Why were these two young men so angry? How did they acquire the weapons and ammunition? What could have been done to prevent this? And, ultimately, what can we do to make America's schools safer? In his address to the nation regarding the tragedy at Columbine, President Clinton said, "We must teach our children to settle their differences through words and not weapons…[and] hammer home to all children in America that violence is wrong." Questioning just how far these lessons should go, Zero Tolerance in Schools explores the ramifications of the zero tolerance policies (regarding potentially violent behavior) that have been adopted in schools across the country in the wake of the Columbine tragedy. In particular, the video focuses on a New Jersey case in which two eight-year-olds playing cowboys and Indians made toy guns from folded paper, and proceeded to shoot at each other. The pair were not only suspended from school, they were also taken down to the local police station to be charged with making terrorist threats against a fellow student. Parents, educators, students and police officers are all interviewed in this short but thought-provoking ABC News production, which is a solid complement to more guidance-related programs such as Real Life Teens: Weapons and Violence (VL-3/02) and Real People: Preventing Student Violence (VL-11/01). Recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (J. Asala)