BCT Editorial – 8/23/07

This page was last updated on August 28, 2007.

Zero tolerance; Editorial; Beaver County Times; August 23, 2007.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“An intolerant zero-tolerance policy may soon claim another victim.

“Tyler Stay, a Bethel Park senior, was expelled by the school board on a 4-3 vote for violating the district’s weapons policy after two Airsoft guns and a drywall knife were found in his car.

“School security guards found the guns and knife in the trunk of Stay’s car as they were looking for stolen school property that another student later admitted taking.

“The guns, which shoot plastic bullets, are used in games, and Stay contends he had the knife because he does construction work. Stay did not threaten anyone. He did not show the weapons around. He has not been a problem student.

“He made a mistake, one that should have resulted in a suspension, not expulsion.

“An Allegheny County judge has put the expulsion on hold until he can hold a full hearing. Let’s hope the board members who voted to oust Stay use the time to reconsider the expulsion - and the district’s zero-tolerance policy.”

[RWC] This is at least the fifth editorial on this topic since October 2004, and none really explored the underlying cause of “zero tolerance” policies. Instead, the Times was content to assert, “the real blame rests with administrators and school boards” (“Senseless,” 1/26/05). The other editorials were “Beyond belief,” “Inflexible,” and “Zero tolerance.”

I agree the zero tolerance issue needs to be resolved, but that won’t happen if we ignore what led to the problem in the first place.

Since the Times still hasn’t figured out the real problem, my comments haven’t changed from my previous critiques.