John W. Whitehead's School Zero Tolerance Policy Unfairly Criminalize Children

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Batas Pambansa Bilang 232, or the Educational Act of 1982, enumerated national development goals that include achieving and maintaining an accelerating rate of economic development and social progress, and assuring the maximum participation of all the people in the attainment and enjoyment of the benefits of such growth. Suspension and exclusion, regrettably, do not promote these national development goals. On the contrary, these punishments are more likely to affect economic and social progress negatively. The disciplined students are said to be unfairly excluded from the educational process, not to mention the loss of opportunities that stems from that. It does not only deprive them of their education, but it also helps worsen the “intergenerational poverty and marginalization” prevailing on present times, which eventually diminishes the possibility of having to see these children as productive adults. School drop outs are ostensibly free to roam the streets, but are cut off from access to the ladder of success and are more likely to end up in prison or in the unemployment margin. Their future is functionally as bleak as …show more content…

Whitehead’s School Zero Tolerance Policy Unfairly Criminalize Children, it was discussed that zero tolerance policies were supposedly intended to help making schools safer, but what is being witnessed is its inhumane treatment of young people and criminalization of childish behaviors. These are “ridiculous consequences of childish behavior,” just as how Whitehead has worded it. These policies have created this facade where children are viewed as suspects and treated as criminals by school officials and law enforcement alike. It has led to this situation where an elementary school student is punished in the same way that an adult high school student in his senior years is punished. And a student who actually intends to harm others is treated the same as one who breaks the rules accidentally or is perceived as breaking the

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