Tuesday, October 13, 2009

October 13, 2009

ZERO TOLERANCE DOES NOT MEAN ZERO SENSE

School discipline must be firm, fair, and consistent but administered with common sense, expert says

"Most school administrators strive for firm, fair, and consistent discipline applied with good common sense. Unfortunately, in some higher-profile cases the 'common sense' part is missing from the equation," according to Kenneth S. Trump, a national expert on school security and emergency preparedness.

Trump, a four-time invited Congressional expert witness on school safety who is president of National School Safety and Security Services, said students need consequences, but they must be appropriate to the context of the situation, the disciplinary and academic history of the student, age appropriateness, and related factors.

His comments followed the recent case of a Delaware 6-year-old being suspended from regular classes for 45 days for possession of a Boy Scout multi-purpose utensil which included a knife, fork, and spoon.

"The consequences for a 6-year-old bringing a Boy Scout utensil with a knife for show-and-tell should be different from a 16-year-old brining a bag of knives, guns, and other weapons with the intent to kill students and teachers. Both actions are inappropriate, but context and common sense must be factored into administrative decisions as to what the exact consequences will be," Trump said.

Trump says schools have developed tunnel vision focus in training school administrators on how to improve test scores, but often fail to provide adequate training on discipline and school safety issues.

See Trump's web site on zero tolerance at http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/zero_tolerance.html

Trump is a four-time invited Congressional expert witness on school safety, security and emergency preparedness issues. He has authored two books and over 60 professional articles on K-12 school security and emergency preparedness issues. Trump has appeared on all cable and network news channels, and is quoted regularly as a school safety expert in national daily newspapers and professional publications.

EXPERT BACKGROUND AND CONTACT INFO:

Kenneth S. Trump, M.P.A., is the President of National School Safety and Security Services, a Cleveland-based national firm specializing in school security and emergency preparedness training and consulting. Ken served as a school safety officer, investigator, and youth gang unit supervisor for the Cleveland City Schools' safety division, and as a suburban Cleveland school security director and assistant gang task force director.He has authored two books and over 60 articles on school security and crisis issues. As one of the leading U.S. school safety experts, Ken has 25 years experience in the school safety profession and has worked with school and public safety officials from all 50 states. He is one of the most widely quoted school safety experts, appearing on all national news networks and cable TV and in top market newspapers. Ken is a four-time invited Congressional witness testifying on school safety and emergency preparedness issues. For more background, see www.schoolsecurity.org/school-safety-experts/trump.html