Take a minute to write a comment on the petition when you sign it, as it will be printed out and taken to the hearing - especially if you know Zane personally!
Here is the link for the petition!
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On February 8, 2010, my 5th grade son Zane was suspended from school and faced expulsion over a mistake. Though the School Board did a fantastic job at reviewing the facts surrounding the situation and allowed him to stay in school, we were "harassed" by the administrators and ultimately withdrew Zane from ASA. I have decided to continue with this blog, in the hopes that we may help other families when the application of this harsh and stringent policy "punishment" does not fit the "crime."
Links of Interest
- Zero Tolerance Policies and Alternative Education: Where Do We Go from Here?
- Zane's Rally - Event info & details
- Zane's Petition
- The Principal's Partnership - Research Brief - Zero Tolerance Policies
- New York State School Boards Association - Shutting down the school-to-prison pipeline
- National Youth Rights Association
- Dignity Denied: The Effect of "Zero Tolerance" Policies on Students' Human Rights
- Benedetto Law, PLC
- American Bar Association - Zero Tolerance Policy Report
13 comments:
Hi Stacey -
I come from a family of teachers and police officers so like you I get the policy but believe in discretion. When we deal in absolutes, we often fail. I'll post a link to my blog and FB, etc. Thanks Kristin B for the notice...and I'll be praying for you and Zane.
infuriating, cold, impersonal... kafkaesque.
my, now, 28 year old son was given the same treatment when he was 16. he was in a california middle school at the time. he chose to never return to school because of the disrespect he felt in their "zero tolerance" actions. their impersonal approach to my son's education cost him is future. i hope, someday, he will continue with a formal education, but because he's an artist and musician, he will find his way.
however, zane should be given an opportunity to be heard. and i find it exemplary that he would write his own apology.
Almost every day I hear stories like this that infuriate me about the way schools treat their students. It was a mistake....yet the school does not want to treat it as such. Zane is a bright, wonderful, sweet boy. He has never in his life done anything to harm someone. He has been taught that compassion, generosity, and hope are key in creating a better world. He is a sweet and sensitive boy who has so much trust. It is SO wrong to do this to him. The words "zero tolerance" should be abolished. How about treating every case individually because isn't that what people are? Individuals. If the school follows through with their decision to expel Zane then their decision will be an even greater mistake than the one Zane made...zero tolerance for them!!!!
Is this America? This is the typical knee jerk reaction with our school system regarding the Zero Tolerance Policys. This level of mentality does not belong in our schools. Perhaps we need to petition and put into law when decision makers make these kind of mistakes they need to step down. Zane, you are someone I find will become stronger with this ill fated circumstance.
Isn't it amazing how children are more and more becoming victims within our school systems when they have done nothing wrong? Don't most Boy Scouts carry their own pocket knives with them on a regular basis? At least, they used to, without reprecussions from anyone, as it was the NORM. I believe that Zane should be able to go back to school, no expulsion, not to be put on his record for the expulsion. He APOLOGIZED. There was NO MALICE. Let him go back to school. Isn't school supposed to be for our children's benefit? What good is Zero Tolerance if it only hurts the innocent?
There should be zero tolerance for corruption on the part of bureaucrats as well. School official found embezzling money? Gone! The school officials in PA who spied on students through their webcams? Gone! Let's give them a dose of the medicine they've been pouring down kids' throats for the past 16 years.
This is ridiculous! Give a kid a chance to learn by mistakes. No one was hurt.
As a young girl I carried a pen knife with me everywhere. I used it to carve wood and soap mostly. It never crossed my mind that a 2" knife could be used as a weapon and the idea seems just as ridiculous now. I am still carving today only now it is custom furniture. I am surprised that an art school lacks common sense and would hold such rigid policy.
I have spent most of my life growing up in the small town of Cottonwood in Az. Upon entering the 8th grade I participated in an NRA class which was expected, and typical for all 8th grade students. I remember taking my 22 rifle to school for a field trip where we earned our NRA patch. A patch earned for learning about hunter safety, and the use of a tool, a gun, that in our local community enabled many people to harvest meat to feed their families. I am an early childhood educator, and again I am apalled at the ignorance of administrators in situations such as Zane's. I commend Zane for his responsible actions in response to the pen-knife incident. Those in administration need to step into a classroom, meet the students, and quit hiding behind impersonal rules our society finds necessary to "teach" our children.
My son is a 5th grader at ASA and was blown away by the media report. He knows your boy and kept insisting that he has been out of school much longer then 5 days. I have signed the petition, shared the link to your blog and the channel 3 story, and will do my best to support you at the protest today at school, barring I can get off of work in time. As I said with my signature, I understand why policies like this exist, but to blindly follow protocol when the situation doesnt warrant is a tragedy. Good luck Zane!!
I am 82 years old. I have carried a pen-knife since I was 8. This is not a wepon, this is a pencil sharpener and a nail cleaner.
My love and support to Zane.
Herbert Brown
GOOD LUCK TO ZANE.MY GRANDSON FACED THE SAME SITUATION.SHAME ON THESE SO CALLED EDUCATED ADULTS.MY SUPPORT TO ZANE AND HIS FAMILY.TOM
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