Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence

Zero Intelligence is looking for news on bad cases of Zero Tolerance

I received an email from the host of Zero Intelligence:"Zero Intelligence seeks to eliminate foolish zero tolerance policies in public education by exposing the damage it does. Children get caught in a disciplinary net that doesn't allow for administrators to consider intent, actual damage caused, and so on. Many administrators go on to take it to far until children are punished equally for vastly disparate 'infractions.'"They are looking for help in reporting on where children suffer from bad policies. When you read about about a case of public schools doing something absurd, consider notifying Zero Intelligence by sending them an email: tips@zerointelligence.net.

Dress Code Unfairly Bans Religious-Themed Clothes

The mother of a student who was suspended for violating her school system's dress code says the rules unfairly targets religion.

Tracy Prochnow said Highland High School suspended her daughter, Brittany Brown, on Monday because the junior wore a Christian-themed T-shirt.

Schools are forcing pelvic exams on students

In August, Sutherland and the South Carolina Council of Conservative Citizens held a protest march in Aiken to criticize the examinations of the 5- and 6-year-olds. A local pastor, the Rev. Dr. Bobby Eubanks, summed up the feelings of the marchers. "Taking our children's clothes off and examining their genitalia is not the responsibility of the schools. They are there to educate"

Apparently some schools are not content with their students being forced to wear uniforms; they have decided to take over their health care too. Without parental consent!!!!

Kids Are Not Uniform, Do Not Make Them Wear One

Is It the Governments Job TO Police MY Purchases???

I don't think so. As an adult I am perfectly capable of deciding how much to spend on clothing for my family. As a PARENT it is my responsibility to teach my children to use money wisely, to be informed consumers, and to hunt for bargains. But school boards across the nation are taking away Parents rights and responsibilities by implementing Mandatory School Uniform Policies.

According to David Brunsma, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Missouri-Columbia

"There aren't any positive results to speak of, but in a way, there aren't any negative effects either," said Brunsma, who included his findings in a book he published on school uniforms in 2004.

Some parents embrace mandatory school uniforms because they don't want to stand up to their kids. Instead of being Parents they want to be Friends and let school boards be the heavies that tell their kids what they can and can't wear. And they have no empathy for PARENTS that want to be Parents and resent having their rights taken away from them. We are considered SELFISH for wanting the right to spend our money on clothing we like and that is in perfectly good taste. We are considered SELFISH for wanting the chance to hunt for bargains and buy clothing that fits our budgets and our families lifestyles. Most of all we are considered SELFISH because we don't mind getting out of bed to make sure our children are appropriately attired for school, and telling them NO when they want to wear something they shouldn't.

But lets put the adults feelings aside. How do kids feel about mandatory school uniforms.
Tollie Bell, a seventh-grader, said children express themselves with their clothes, and they don't usually make fun of one another . "Uniforms are frumpy and ugly," Tollie said. "Everyone wears jeans. Usually, with uniforms, you can't wear jeans."

With all the emphasis on self-esteem, you would think forcing kids to wear something they consider frumpy and ugly would raise a few issues. I mean how can you possibly learn when you are being taught that you are too stupid to pick out your own clothes? And how can you feel good about yourself when you are forced to walk around in something frumpy and ugly every day? No wonder kids today are depressed. They have every right to be..................

Public Schools Should Educate All Children Not Create Worker Drones

Denise Swogetinsky needs a reality check. I don’t know many fourth or fifth graders who know what career they are going to pursue when they become adults. To decide that only certain kids should take the academic courses that will allow them to enter college is unfair. All kids, rich or poor, black or white, should be given the chance to attend college. Having different “tracks” leaves those fourth and fifth grade kids that the guidance counselors don’t deem college material at a disadvantage. What happens when those kids hit 11th grade and decide they do want to pursue a college degree, only to learn that it is to late for them as they were put on the vo-tech track and do not have the courses they need to get into college?

Secondly Mississippi hasn’t adequately funded Kindergarten thru 12th grade. The last thing we need is a pre-kindergarten program (glorified daycare) taking money away from K-12th grade programs.

A non graded K-3 smacks of those liberal feel good programs that refuse to grade student’s work because it might hurt their self-esteem if they don’t make a 100 or don’t do as well on a test as their friend. Keep the grades; just make sure each student has adequately mastered the work for their grade level before passing them on to the next grade.

And if you want to improve the public schools here are some simple low-cost steps you can take

• Group students according to their ability. Put all the A students together, all the B students together, all the C students together etc. so that slower students do not hold their classmates back and so that the students that need extra help can get it. But by all means teach them the same thing. The C student in 4th grade may become an A student in 5th grade.


• Students that disrupt the class should not be there.


• Recognize that students have different learning styles and make it the teacher’s responsibility to discover the learning style that best suits her students.


• Provide students with up to date textbooks, and well-educated teachers. Get rid of teachers that aren’t doing an adequate job (No matter how long they have been with the school system).


• Work with parents. A school board that ignores the wishes of its student’s parents is doomed to failure.