Moms Talk: Zero Tolerance

Each week in Moms Talk, our of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

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Fairfax County has become a hotbed of debate recently because of what some parents are calling Zero Tolerance policies on drugs, altercations, bullying, violence, weapons and other such activities.

FCPS Superintendent Jack Dale maintains there is no policy of zero tolerance for students and that it operates on the principle that students are given ample opportunity to correct their behaviors before serious consequences are applied.

However, some believe the punishments handed down by schools are "one size fits all" and do not take into account the individual situation, the specific infraction, and students' rights.

In the wake of two recent suicides by students caught up in the disciplinary process, a group called Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform is working with the Fairfax County communities to propose reform measures. Its mission is to reform the Fairfax County Public School student disciplinary process so EVERY child's Constitutional, due process, and educational rights are protected; the process is just, consistent, individualized, transparent, and monitored; and so it works as intended.

Has common sense and compassion given way to zero tolerance or are our schools doing the best they can for the majority of its students?

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