High-schools zero-tolerance policies too harsh
Last month, a teenage girl was suspended for two weeks from Oakton High School in Fairfax County, Va. for taking her birth control at lunchtime. The teen has also been recommended for expulsion because of Fairfax County’s zero-tolerance drug policy, meaning to combat drug use, schools will often impose a severe punishment for the first offense.
Last month, a teenage girl was suspended for two weeks from Oakton High School in Fairfax County, Va. for taking her birth control at lunchtime. The teen has also been recommended for expulsion because of Fairfax County’s zero-tolerance drug policy, meaning to combat drug use, schools will often impose a severe punishment for the first offense.
According to NBCWashington.com, if a student comes to school high on heroin or LSD, they are only suspended for five days. How was the maximum punishment imposed for taking one’s birth control prescription, but Fairfax County thinks it is appropriate to suspend users of illegal drugs for only one school week?
The Fairfax County Student’s Responsibilities and Rights Handbook states the suspension period for taking a prescribed or over-the-counter medication is the same as if the teen were to have brought a gun to school.
While Fairfax County schools have a zero-tolerance drug policy to combat the misuse of drugs and alcohol, the policy is much too strict and there is no reason this teen should have been suspended for two weeks with a recommendation for expulsion-taking a birth-control pill should not be put in the same category as having a gun on school property.
There needs to be exceptions made for some types of prescribed medications. For example, students are allowed to take cough drops and not share them. There should be a rule like this for birth control. While the Oakton teen broke the rules and should have registered her medication at the school clinic, the punishment does not fit the crime.
Zero-tolerance policies might be good for administrators, but on the whole they are detrimental to students because the punishments are harsh and send a mixed message to teens. Fairfax County and other school systems should have gotten some clues that their zero-tolerance policy should be altered and lightened as early as 2003, when a 13-year-old girl from Arizona was strip searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen.
Ibuprofen, even prescription strength, is not worth a humiliating strip search. While teenage prescription and over-the-counter painkiller abuse has been an escalating issue, a strict punishment policy for students who are caught taking their prescribed medication does not solve the problem.
Other negative consequences stemming from Fairfax County School’s zero-tolerance policy have arisen. Last month, Fairfax County teen and South Lakes High School student Josh Anderson committed suicide the night before his expulsion hearing. Anderson had been caught with marijuana on school property, after officials smelled the drug in his car when Anderson was caught leaving campus.
This was the second time he had been caught with marijuana, and it was almost certain that he would not be able to return to any Fairfax County school. According to the blog Anderson’s parents started for family and friends, Anderson’s parents maintain that Fairfax County’s strict no-tolerance policies played a major factor in Anderson’s suicide.
According the The Washington Post, Fairfax County Public Schools have had a zero-tolerance policy for the past two decades. However, with both students and officials going to extremes over this policy, the zero-tolerance policy many schools have in effect needs to be examined and readjusted to realistically apply to students and parents.
The strict policy does not differentiate well enough between the severity of offenses and sends a mixed message to teens.
I heard this story from my son’s middle school teacher.
My son was expelled from Mount Vernon High school in February 2008 because he admitted that he bought prescription pain killer pill from his best friend at the bus stop. This whole thing started out one kid told Principal. At the end more than 10 kids (freshman) are either expelled or suspended. All kids are regular great honor kids who made a mistake taking pill once and could not lie about it when he was called in for interview. My son’s only choice was sent to the computer school at juvenile detention center for at least 365 days. He made the bad choice but he is straight A honor kid throughout middle school and even freshman year at the Mount Vernon High school. We went through the painful hearing with the hearing officers and school board. He was asked so many times by hearing officer “You are smart kid. You should know what you are doing. “ He was blamed for not reporting his best friend was taking the pills. He was never caught any possession of any drugs at school. All case was based on what he said at the initial interview at school. When I think about those days, I cannot stop crying.
We decided to take him out of the states to give him deserved education. We moved him to PA where his grandparents live and registered him at the public school. 2 weeks later, Fairfax County sent his information about possible expulsion to the school in PA. He was kicked out for the second time. The reason why Fairfax County sent the information is they feel obligate not to send problem kid to different state. After he spent little over 2 years at small public school in PA, he decided to come back the senior year in Fairfax again and started going to West Potomac High School this September. However, he is dropping out and trying to finish high school online education. Until now, he maintained GPA 4.38 but the trauma he went through with Fairfax County is too painful for us.
I resent zero-tolerance policy. Yes, my son made mistakes but he was only 15 year old, freshman who are trying to adjust into the new high school life. Not only his but our whole family’s life was changed with this.
My child was one of these freshmen (honor student) and I feel your pain. My child graduated, but the whole ordeal changed her life and ours. Mount Vernon High school, along with the Fairfax County Schools, need to re-think and make changes to the zero-tolerance drug policy. None of the kids affected were drug dealers, or users. They were just kids who made a mistake, but the school bureaucracy could not see it. I believe that they saw an opportunity to send a message to the student and the community without thinking of the bigger picture and the damage they were causing to all these kids. The Principal did agree with us that the punishment did not fit the crime, but her hands were tied and even-know she knew that it was wrong what the school system was doing to these kids she will not and was not able to do anything for them.
Parents, be aware of what is going on at your kid’s schools and do not let the same thing happen to your kids. The Fairfax County schools have a zero-tolerance drug policy to combat the misuse of drugs and alcohol, but the policy is much too strict and the people that are enforcing them do not care or just have no clue about teenagers. Something needs to be done to make changes to this rule.
A concern Dad…
Sooooooo funny