[Opinion] School Tolerance

A Korean resident living in a suburb of Washington D.C. received an emergency call from his son’s teacher, “He has been suspended because he brought a prohibited object to school.” “That can’t be… What did he bring?” Thinking to clip his nails during recess, his son had taken to school a nail clipper, which had a sharpened chisel attached. Suspended!

Americans schools have “zero tolerance” policies that frown upon any violations. In 1996, then U.S. President Bill Clinton stressed attendance by saying, “Success and failure in life is determined by whether you stay in school or roam the streets.” Parents must sign after reading school rules that list forbidden actions and objects. In New York City, disrespect toward teachers is unforgivable. In response to the concerns that all of these might be too much, mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg once said, “Think of the victims.”

The Japanese government has announced that it will introduce the zero tolerance system into mandatory education years from elementary to middle schools to eradicate student violence. There have been over 30,000 school violence cases yearly since 1998. Recently, a high school student was caught selling drugs in school, and violence against teachers has not abated. In 1999, British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited what was called the “worst school” in Chicago and reinforced the “expulsion of troublemakers” policy. It was said that after the zero tolerance system was incorporated in Chicago, school violence was reduced by half and grades improved.

Zero tolerance is based on the “Broken Window” theory that states small deviations can fuel a criminal catastrophe. For the system to reap desired results, the rules must be explicitly stated, the punishments fair, and a “rehabilitation school” must exist for the expelled. What is most important is that the schools and teachers must perform up to standards. It is not educational for education systems to force the authority they have lost themselves onto students. Does that ring a bell?

Kim Sun-deok, Editorial Writer, yuri@donga.com