zero tolerance
Federal school discipline guidelines reflect Colorado’s ‘baby steps’
The Obama administration released new federal guidelines Wednesday to address discrimination in K-12 school discipline policies, an issue on which Colorado already has taken some halting first steps. Casting the initiative not just as a policy discussion but as a legal issue rooted in civil rights law, the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Education cited national data showing a correlation between race and higher rates of discipline. It outlined several steps aimed at keeping kids in school and ending what some critics have dubbed the “school-to-prison pipeline.” “A routine school disciplinary infraction should land a student in the principal’s office, not in a police precinct,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. The federal guidelines suggest ways...
