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8/10/2006
An August 9, 2006 article from USA Today reports that, according to the American Psychological Association (APA), strict adherence to "zero-tolerance" discipline policies may actually cause students to feel less secure, and prompt them to misbehave more in school. For more than a decade, zero-tolerance policies have spread throughout schools across the country as an attempt to address increasing violence and drug use. However, APA research suggests that more discretion should be used when dealing with students who break school rules. For example, having a plastic knife in a lunchbox is different than hiding a firearm in a locker and, consequently, should not receive the same punishment. Based in part on zero-tolerance policies, minor discipline issues that were previously handled by school principles are now placing some students into the juvenile justice system.
The article is available at the USA Today Web site. A related press release can be viewed at the APA Web site.
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