Zero tolerance, zero opportunity

One strength of our community is that through education, young people can create opportunity for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, school discipline policies and practice, like zero tolerance, have pushed children out of school instead of keeping them in the classroom and ensuring positive safe environments for all students to learn.

School zero tolerance policies, which most often result in out-of-school suspensions, were originally intended to apply to the most serious cases such as possession of drugs and weapons. In practice, however, most out-of-school suspensions are for non-violent, minor disruptions.  Instead of being used to create safe schools, zero tolerance policies discourage vulnerable students from attending school and to push them out of the academic environment. Instead of improving student outcomes, these policies increase the likelihood of involvement in the justice system.   Our juvenile and adult corrections facilities are filled with people who have experienced the results of zero tolerance policies, which cost taxpayer dollars, hurt student achievement, and do not improve student behavior.

This legislative session, Representative Pat Smith is sponsoring House Bill 777, legislation that would decrease the number of students pushed out of schools and increase the number of safe, successful students in our state by limiting the use of zero tolerance policies.  The bill challenges schools and school districts to think critically about the correlation between out-of-school suspension and academic achievement and offers alternatives to suspensions and expulsions in order for school leaders to create positive school discipline policies.

In January, the US Departments of Education and Justice issued a school discipline guidance package aimed at helping states, districts and schools improve school discipline practices to keep more students in school.  This guidance also speaks to the growing disparities in the implementation of school discipline policies, which disproportionately impact students of color, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities.  Along with HB 777, this national framework can help give Louisiana’s schools and educators crucial direction in examining their use of and the impact of zero tolerance policies.

Given our country’s deep abiding belief in the transformational power of education, how can we maintain the current policies when we know that they do not work for our young people? Zero tolerance policies do more harm by creating punitive learning environments, pushing youth out of school, and excluding vulnerable students from educational opportunities. House Bill 777 is common sense legislation, supported by a broad coalition of groups. By passing this legislation, Louisiana has the opportunity to create more meaningful options for increasing positive discipline systems in schools.   HB 777 gives reason to be optimistic about better student performance, better schools, safe successful students and ultimately a better Louisiana.

Here's the bill:
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=879593&n=HB777 Original