Zero tolerance policy was created as a result of the Gun Free Schools Act of 1994. Varied views exist on zero tolerance policy that include its substantive impact, for whom it is intended, and its viability to address the problem of school violence. Parents, politicians, principals, and teachers have stated their views on the issues. However, there is a voice that is conspicuously absent in this dialogue—that is, students for whom the policy was created to protect. Therefore, in an effort to understand the impact of zero tolerance policy, this study examines urban student perceptions regarding their sense of safety in their schools.
Advancement Project and Civil Rights Project. ( 2000). Opportunities suspended: The devastating consequences of zero tolerance and school discipline policies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Civil Rights Project.
2.
Casella, R. ( 2001). Being down: Challenging violence in urban schools . New York: Teachers College Press .
3.
Devine, J. ( 1996). The culture of violence in inner-city schools . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
4.
Duker, L. ( 1994). With assistance from E. Bhatiia , D. Doherty, L. Gill, and C. Taylor [NCJ 149391]. Gun Dealers, USA, 14. Available from National Criminal Justice Reference Service Web site: http://www.ncjrs.gov/
5.
Dunbar, C., Jr., & Villarruel, F.A. (2002). Urban school leaders and the implementation of zero tolerance policy: An examination of its implications . Peabody Journal of Education, 77, 82-104.
6.
Dunbar, C., Jr., & Villaruel, F.A. (2004). What a difference a community makes: Urban and rural school leaders and the implementation of zero tolerance . Equity and Excellence, 37, 351-359.
7.
Freeman, K. ( 1997). Increasing African American’s participation in higher education: African American high school student’s perspectives . Journal of Higher Education, 68, 523-550.
8.
Garner, B.A. ( 2004). Black’s law dictionary (8th ed.). Thomson West: New York .
9.
Henault, C. ( 2001). Zero tolerance and schools. Journal of Law and Education, 30, 547-553.
10.
Lattimore, R. ( 2001). The wrath of high-stakes tests. Urban Review, 33, 57-67.
11.
Lipsky, M. ( 1980). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. New York: Russell Sage.
12.
Lopes, J.A. ( 2004). Teachers’ perceptions about teaching problem students in regular classrooms. Education and Treatment of Children , 27, 394-419.
13.
Maslow, A., & Lowery, R. (Ed.). (1998). Toward a psychology of being (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.
14.
McNeal, L. ( 2007) The clery act: The road to compliance. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 19, 105-113.
15.
Miron, L.F., Bogotch, I.E. & Biest, G.J. ( 2001). In pursuit of the good life: High school students’ constructions of morality and the implications for educational leadership . Cultural Studies Critical Methodologies, 1(4), 490-516.
16.
Salend, S.J., & Sylvestre, S. ( 2005). Understanding and addressing oppositional and defiant classroom behaviors. Teaching Exceptional Children , 32(6), 32-39.
17.
Schwartz, R., & Rieser, L. ( 2001). Zero tolerance as mandatory sentencing. In W. Ayers, B. Dohrn , & R. Ayers (Eds.), Zero tolerance: Resisting the drive for punishment in our schools (pp. 126-135). New York: New Press.
18.
Sheley, J.F., & Wright, J.D. ( 1993). Gun acquisition and possession in selected juvenile samples [NCJ 145326]. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice .
19.
Skiba, R., & Leone, P. ( 2001). Zero tolerance and school security measures: A failed experiment. In T. Johnson, J. E. Boyden, & W. Pittz (Eds.), Racial profiling and punishment in U.S. schools (pp. 34-38). Oakland, CA: Applied Research Center.
20.
Smith, B.P. ( 2000). Emerging themes and problems experienced by student teachers: A framework for analysis. College Student Journal , 34, 633-640.
21.
Sughrue, J.A. ( 2003). Zero tolerance for children. Two wrongs do not make a right. Education Administration Quarterly, 39(2), 238-258.
22.
Thornburg, M. ( 2001). School-wide discipline in urban schools: Perceptions of violence prevention strategies. Unpublished Phd dissertation, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA.
23.
Tierney, W.G. ( 1993). The college experience of Native Americans: A critical analysis. In L. Weis & M. Fine (Eds.), Beyond silenced voices (pp. 309-324). Albany, NY: State University Press.
24.
Villaruel, F.A., & Dunbar, C. ( 2006). Culture, race and zero tolerance policy: The implications . Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 6(2), 53-63.
