Author ORCID Identifier
Natasha N. Johnson: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8145-2153
Thaddeus L. Johnson: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2908-7897
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-26-2023
Abstract
Using the state of Georgia as a backdrop, this paper highlights the current state of the GFSA (Gun-Free Schools Act) in the United States of America, initially enacted in 1994, 30 years later. The progress of school-based ZTPs (Zero Tolerance Policies) in practice shows that progress remains slow a quarter of a century later. In response, this paper looks at the origins of school-level ZTPs, and the intended and unintended consequences and identifies strategies for making substantial progress moving forward. Using Georgia law and the Fulton County school system as drivers toward change, this paper looks at State, County, and Regional-level implementation of School-based ZTPs, in alignment with the GA legal standard, to add to the existing knowledge base in this realm. By pointing to what has and has not been working, this paper seeks to bring efficacious strategies for improvement to the forefront (i.e., increasing the use of positive, collaborative behavior interventions and supports, using aggregate data to reduce the number of disciplinary actions that force students out of the classroom, creating reasonable limits on the use of law enforcement in public schools) to allow all students to learn in environments that are safe, non-punitive, and impartial.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, N. N. & Johnson, T. L. (2023). Zero Tolerance Policy Analysis: A Look at 30 Years of School-Based ZT Policies in Practice in the United States of America. Cogent Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2179863
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2179863
Comments
Published by Taylor & Francis in Cogent Education. (c) 2023 by The Authors.
https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2179863