Can the school district both guarantee case-by-case hearings of offenses and impose the zero-tolerance policy at the same time? If it is in fact trying to do so, it is not doing a very good job, as shown by the suicide of Nick Stuban, a 15-year old sophomore at W..T Woodson High School, on Jan. 20.
Stuban was found dead in his home following his suspension and recommendation for expulsion. Stuban’s father, Steve Stuban, told The Washington Post that his son’s infringement of rules “did not involve a violation of the law,” and declined to disclose the specific details.
On March 19, 2009, former junior Josh Anderson of South Lakes High School also took his life the day before his second hearing involving marijuana possession and being expelled from his high school.
The FCPS systems mission is to educate the students and discipline them when necessary in orderto help them become responsible citizens, so the administration issues consequences when needed. However, FCPS administrative sometimes finds that their disciplinary actions cause unintended and undesired effects, the worst of them being suicide.
As any dictionary can confirm, the definition of discipline is generally to correct the wrong actions of an individual. Although the definition itself has a harmless meaning, the term has come to acquire a negative connotation, especially in the modern-day school system.
The zero-tolerance policy for drug or weapon possession was adopted by FCPS and seems harsh because situations vary student to student. Zero-tolerance policies usually punish any rule breaking and do not take accidental mistakes, ignorance or special circumstances into account.
According to the Washington Examiner, the FCPS spokesman Paul Regnier claimed “the school system does not have a ‘zero tolerance’ policy.” Superintendent Jack Dale also said “the Fairfax school district does not believe in zero-tolerance and never has,” according to The Washington Post.
Despite this, Principal John Ponton confirmed that “There is a zero-tolerance policy at this school, there is no second chance. By county regulation and state law, I don’t have any choice.” So far during the 2010-2011 school year, nine out of the total eleven recommendations for expulsion at AHS were due to drug-related issues according to Ponton. “[These] expulsion recommendations are mandatory and would be classified as zero tolerance,” he said.
These two students saw their punishment as so harsh that the only escape from the situation was to escape life itself.
FairfaxZeroToleranceReform.org is an organization that dedicates itself to the reformation of the discipline policy and the “horrific way our county administers its zero-tolerance rules.”
Although the organization has done much to improve the way students are treated when caught up in a sticky situation, it is apparent that a lot more needs to be done in order to make sure students know there is a way out other than taking their own lives.
“I don’t think anybody wants the end result to be the suicide death of a student,” Ponton said. “It is devastating for the family and it’s a really sad situation.”
There are a number of reasons that could have contributed to these teenagers’ suicides, but one thing that is for sure is that the harsh discipline imposed upon them certainly did not better their situation.
Expulsion can ruin any student’s chance of getting into the university of their dreams, all for one small mistake they made in high school.
The county needs to work towards improving this program and getting rid of the “one-size-fits-all” strategy that the zero-tolerance policy applies.
Of course, students and their parents are responsible for making sure school and county rules are upheld and followed, however, disciplinarians are responsible for controlling the situation to protect both the community and the offender to ensure that each student is given justice and security.
