What are children supposed to do when they are being bullied on a daily basis at a school they are attending where the adults are supposed to provide academic enrichment and safety from bullying but have failed on both fronts?
What are parents and caregivers to do when they repeatedly go to the school pleading and finally demanding that school officials stop other youths and adolescents from bullying their children only to be told, "We'll take care of it," and they do nothing?
Who is guilty for the young lady that recently committed suicide after being bullied viciously and with perfect regularity by schoolmates? Who is guilty of the murder of a student that refused to join a violent gang where members attended the same school who were bullying him? Who is guilty of for the bullying of Asian students attending South Philadelphia High School for the last decade? Who are the guilty culprits who stand paralyzed with indifference while our young people of all nationalities, backgrounds, religious affiliations, or sexual orientation are bullied, beaten and murdered?
If Zero Tolerance in our schools is supposed to protect the youth and adolescents from bullying, then it is a complete and utter failure, pure and simple. If one child--and I mean one--dies because he or she is being bullied and no action is taken to thwart this type behavior, then it appears that Zero Tolerance is nothing more than a “fanciful” concept that isn't worth the paper it’s written on.
What good is a law when it is not being implemented effectively? We must hold accountable those who crafted and failed to make Zero Tolerance a powerful ally for students against bullying and violence.
In the end, perhaps we should rename the policy of Zero Tolerance to "Not Really Zero Tolerance."
Anthony P. Johnson
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