Race-ethnicity, social class, and zero-tolerance policies - The cultural and structural wars

Although school crime and violence have declined during the past 5 years, problems still exist. Consequently, educators have taken many steps toward making schools safer. One such step has been the development and implementation of zero-tolerance policies. Unfortunately, such policies have created more problems than they have resolved. In addition, these policies raise serious questions about race/ethnicity and social class in American public schools, especially in urban schools where zero-tolerance policy sanctions are more likely to be applied to ethnic/racial minority and poor students. The purpose of this article is to examine the implications zero-tolerance policies have in public schools, especially on race/ethnicity and social class relations. The author concludes with a set of recommendations for developing sound zero-tolerance policies.