Arrested for Doodling on a Desk? "Zero Tolerance" at Schools Is Going Way Too Far

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By Liliana Segura

On February 1, in Forest Hills, Queens, 12-year-old Alexa Gonzalez was arrested after she was caught doodling on her desk. Profanity? Threats against her teacher? No, the middle school student had written, with an erasable marker, "I love my friends Abby and Faith," along with "Lex was here. 2/1/10" and a smiley face, according to the New York Daily News.

This, apparently, was a criminal act in the eyes of her teacher. She called school security -- New York police officers -- who promptly cuffed her and hauled her across the street, to the local precinct,

"I started crying, like, a lot," Alexa told the Daily News. "I made two little doodles. It could be easily erased. To put handcuffs on me is unnecessary."

Nevertheless, in addition to being handcuffed and held at the police station, Alexa was also suspended and "assigned eight hours of community service, a book report and an essay on what she learned from the experience." Alexa's suspension was eventually lifted. But she still missed three days in school, days she spent "throwing up," according to her mother, Moraima Tamacho.

Tamacho and her daughter have an attorney, who says they will sue the NYPD for violating Alexa's constitutional rights.

Punished for Refusing to Pledge Alliegance

Meanwhile, mere days before Alexa's arrest, in Montgomery Country, Maryland, a 13-year-old student at Roberto Clemente Middle School was escorted out of school by police after she refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance two days in a row. According to the ACLU, which is representing the student (she remains anonymous), the trouble started on January 27, when the seventh grader "chose neither to stand nor to speak during the school s daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance."

"Instead, she sat quietly while students recited the Pledge."

Her teacher was not okay with this. He ordered her to stand up; when she refused, he threatened her with detention and sent her to the school counselor's office, where she spent the rest of the period.

The next day, the same conflict broke out. This time, the teacher called in a pair of "school resource officers" -- in-school Maryland police -- to take care of the situation.

The officers didn't arrest the student, escorting her to the counselor's office rather than a police station. Nonetheless, like Alexa Gonzalez, the experience of being marched out of class in front of her classmates proved harrowing.

"As these events occurred in front of the entire class, they caused her great embarrassment and humiliation," her ACLU lawyer wrote in a letter to the school on February 4. "Indeed, since these events, [the student] has been too humiliated to return to school, and has been advised by a psychologist that due to the distress she is experiencing, she should not return for an extended period."

While initially, the teacher and assistant principal refused to acknowledge the violation of the student's rights -- Assistant Principal James Richard countered that the student owed her teacher an apology for her "defiance" -- this week the Washington Post reported that the teacher will have to apologize to the student.

School spokesperson Dana Tofig told the Post that the teacher had violated school policy, which is based on Maryland law.

"The policy is very, very clearly stated," Tofig said. "Our teachers are expected to know the students' rights and responsibilities....A mistake has been made, and it will be rectified."

Zero Tolerance?

Like ongoing reports of students being tasered by police officers on school grounds, it is not uncommon to hear school administrators in the news expressing some regret at a disciplinary action gone too far. These episodes are treated as isolated incidents in an otherwise sound system. But a recent CNN report suggests that stories like these indicate a trend, with critics of "zero-tolerance" policies raising concerns that attempts to keep students disciplined and safe might be doing more harm than good.

"Critics say schools and police have gone too far, overreacting and using well-intended rules for incidents involving nonviolent offenses such as drawing on desks, writing on other school property or talking back to teachers," CNN reported.

"We are arresting them at younger and younger ages [in cases] that used to be covered with a trip to the principal's office, not sending children to jail," said Emma Jordan-Simpson, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund, a national children's advocacy group.

This would certainly apply in the Alexa Gonzalez case. How many more cases are out there like hers isn't entirely clear. (Reports CNN: "There aren't any national studies documenting how often minors become involved with police for nonviolent crimes in schools. Tracking the incidents depends on how individual schools keep records. Much of the information remains private, since it involves juveniles.") But in New York City alone, the problems stemming from an increased police presence in schools have been enough for the New York Civil Liberties Union to produce a number of reports with titles like "Criminalizing the Classroom: The Over-Policing of New York City Schools."

In 2007, the NYCLU produced an educational card for students called "Know Your Rights with Police in Schools." That was the year 13-year-old Chelsea Fraser was arrested for writing "okay" on her desk at a middle school in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.

"It was really embarrassing because some of the kids, they talk, and they're going to label me as a bad kid. But I'm really not," Fraser told local media at the time. "I didn't know writing 'okay' would get me arrested."

Needless to say, Fraser's case bears an eerie similarity to the Gonzalez case. ("My daughter just wrote something on a desk. I would have her scrub it with Soft Scrub on a Saturday morning when she should be out playing, and maybe a day of in-house and a formal apology to the principal," her mother said.)

In a new report last year examining the consequences of giving the mayor's office more control over city schools, the NYCLU zeroed in on the problem of police officers in schools, writing: "The NYPD plays a unique and expansive role in the city s education system."

At the same time that the number of police personnel in the schools has increased to a whopping 5,200 agents, the ability of educators to oversee school safety and student discipline has decreased. Principals complain that they are unable to control the conduct of School Safety Agents and are limited in their ability to strike the right balance between school security and a supportive educational environment.

New York is not alone in trying to strike this balance. In (highly suburban) Montgomery County, Maryland, concerns over local gang activity have led to an influx of police officers in schools -- the same officers who assisted the teacher in denying his student the right to remain seated during the pledge of allegiance.

Local anti-gang tasks forces have recommended that the number of in-school police officers -- "Educational Facility Officers" or "School Resource Officers -- increase, "extending the program into all high schools and middle schools," according to one report.

It might seem logical given the real dangers posed by gangs to innocent school children. But as reports like the one out of Queens or Montgomery County prove, putting police officers in schools makes no rational sense if the officers -- or teachers emboldened by their presence -- cannot behave rationally.

"Increas(ing) police presence in school exacerbate(s) the crisis of zero tolerance discipline," Manuel Criollo, a Los Angeles-based organizer with the Strategy Center "No to Pre-Prison" Campaign told AlterNet.

"Reliance on law enforcement opens the door to criminalize student behavior," he said. "Therefore, issues such as fighting, truancy, and tardiness become crimes -- and of course students of color are more vulnerable to targeting and profiling."

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[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Zero Tolerance is bordering on fascism. Any policy, especially regarding young minors, that has no flexibility in dealing with situations is a poor policy.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Sousuke

[Peikko 1,575]

What's with all this treating children as if they were adults? I have never, ever heard of children being arrested for misdemeanors before, and quite frankly, it's bullshit. Sure, if a kid kill someone, arrest them - although even then I doubt they would be handcuffed in most other developed nations. That's not to condone vandalism or any such thing, but draconian enforcement of petty rules is ridiculous and counterproductive. Shame on the teacher and shame on the police who arrested the kid if this really did happen.

Zero Tolerance is bordering on fascism. Any policy, especially regarding young minors, that has no flexibility in dealing with situations is a poor policy.

I totally agree.

[Ali G. 37]

I love these articles. When it comes to ####### those in the education field face daily, that is just part of their job, basically "tough sh-t" deal with it. When it comes to isolated incidents like these, we decry murder. The crappiest yet ironically most underpaid jobs in this country would have to social work, police, ambulance workers and teachers.

These guys basically cannot get a break. Add in the anti-government hysteria that plagues the US, and these folks who do the most for the country are the freagin punching bag.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Booyah

[Ali G. 37]

The other thing is that we don't know the full story or complete picture. Damn straight you want zero tolerance in the ghetto.

I particularly like here response and attitude "I made two little doodles. It could be easily erased. To put handcuffs on me is unnecessary.". Honey, if you are smart enough to respond as and adult as your mommy and daddy have put you on some 'my sh-t don't stink' pedestal, maybe you should not be doodling and actually paying attention..

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Why would you arrest someone for doodling on a desk? That's ridiculous!

Surely a better punishment would be to have the kid sand off the desk. That's what happened in my school if you were caught doing that.

[mawilson 2,133]

Why would you arrest someone for doodling on a desk? That's ridiculous!

Surely a better punishment would be to have the kid sand off the desk. That's what happened in my school if you were caught doing that.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Doodling is a serious offense. He should have been whipped in public, his parents should have to pay for a new shcool and serve 20 years in prison. That's the only way you're going to stop this #######.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Doodling is a serious offense. He should have been whipped in public, his parents should have to pay for a new shcool and serve 20 years in prison. That's the only way you're going to stop this #######.

What's the Aussie word for punishment?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

What's the Aussie word for punishment?

Fosters

[Darnell 8,480]

I'd be all happy for the rescinding of any 'zero tolerance policies' across the USA

IF

corporal punishment was reinstated.

You know, you remember - mess up? go to the principal, get yer @ss whacked with a paddle, 3 hard hits.

Bring that back? hey !

Otherwise - stfu - it's zero-tolerance. it is what it is.

My father was a teacher - and each new semester, he'd walk on to my classes, tell each of MY teachers - if you have any problems with my son, send him in for that @ss-whopping - and he knows he'll get double that, when he gets home.

There's no way that will work, today. f*cking zero-tolerance. Sure Sure, it's an insurance problem - no school person wants to get sued to hurting little Johnny - I get it - but.... somethings gotta give, ya?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

What's more harmful, doodling or diddling?

[mawilson 2,133]

What's the Aussie word for punishment?

Fosters

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Doodling is a serious offense. He should have been whipped in public, his parents should have to pay for a new shcool and serve 20 years in prison. That's the only way you're going to stop this #######.

Au contraire - the only sure means of punishment is being cornholed over the desk in question. That'll learn those bastards!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I'd be all happy for the rescinding of any 'zero tolerance policies' across the USA

IF

corporal punishment was reinstated.

You know, you remember - mess up? go to the principal, get yer @ss whacked with a paddle, 3 hard hits.

Bring that back? hey !

Otherwise - stfu - it's zero-tolerance. it is what it is.

My father was a teacher - and each new semester, he'd walk on to my classes, tell each of MY teachers - if you have any problems with my son, send him in for that @ss-whopping - and he knows he'll get double that, when he gets home.

There's no way that will work, today. f*cking zero-tolerance. Sure Sure, it's an insurance problem - no school person wants to get sued to hurting little Johnny - I get it - but.... somethings gotta give, ya?

Insane.