Alternatives to zero tolerance policies in Humboldt County high schools: educators’ perceptions of benefits and barriers

Several schools in Humboldt County have implemented a "zero tolerance" policy directed at specific offenses committed by students while at school. School administrators have discretion in administering disciplinary action for offenses such as possession or use of alcohol or other drugs, or in determining what qualifies as a concealed weapon. Additionally, there is discretion in determining what exactly constitutes "willful defiance." Although discretion exists in determining disciplinary action, often suspension or expulsion is used as the primary tool in administering discipline. Indeed, many students are failing in their education due to school pushouts. Many factors contribute to pushout including, but not necessarily limited to, bias aimed specifically at students because of their race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, foster care, teen pregnancy, and teen parents. Much of the time the bias goes unnoticed by school officials, and can even be initiated by officials due to long-standing inequities in social and economic standing. This project addressed the research question of: "Whether teachers and administrators believe that there are effective alternatives to a zero tolerance policy and what, if any, barriers are there to implementing alternative discipline in schools." This research evaluated teacher and administrator views on alternatives to a zero tolerance policy in order to help provide positive feedback on implementing alternatives to suspension and expulsion. It was discovered that many of the area educators felt that utilizing alternative disciplinary procedures in specific circumstances would be beneficial to students as well as help to maintain a safe and supportive school environment. The research also revealed the barriers that educators believed were in place to prevent implementation, the chief of which was a lack of resources followed by a lack of personnel to supervise such programs, and fear that such programs may not be supported by the administration, other teachers, or parents.