Positive Learning Climates KnowledgeBase

Fact Sheet: Zero Tolerance and Alternative Strategies

This National Association of School Psychologists fact sheet offers an overview of issues associated with zero tolerance policies.

Position Statement on School Violence

This link is to the National Association of School Psychologists' position statements on school violence. This position statement is provided for informational purposes and has not been reviewed by the Mid-Continent Comprehensive Center.

School Climate and Discipline

This link to the U.S. Department of Education website provides resources addressing school climate and discipline. As noted on the website, "The guidance package is a resource resulting from a collaborative project—the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (SSDI)—between ED and DOJ. The SSDI, launched in 2011, addresses the school-to-prison pipeline and the disciplinary policies and practices that can push students out of school and into the justice system. The initiative aims to support instead school discipline practices that foster safe, inclusive and positive learning environments while keeping students in school."

The Department of Education news releases explains that the resource package consists of four components:

    •    the Dear Colleague guidance letter on civil rights and discipline, prepared in conjunction with DOJ, describes how schools can meet their legal obligations under federal law to administer student discipline without discriminating against students on the basis of race, color or national origin

    •    the Guiding Principles document draws from emerging research and best practices to describe three key principles and related action steps that can help guide state and local efforts to improve school climate and school discipline

    •    the Directory of Federal School Climate and Discipline Resources indexes the extensive federal technical assistance and other resources related to school discipline and climate available to schools and districts

    •    the Compendium of School Discipline Laws and Regulations, an online catalogue of the laws and regulations related to school discipline in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, compares laws across states and jurisdictions

Zero Tolerance and Alternative Strategies: A Fact Sheet for Educators and Policymakers

This National Association of School Psychologists fact sheet explores issues associated with the concept of zero tolerance as a discipline policy.