Tow #10: Article: "School District's Right to Divert Kids From Life of Crime"

This editorial was written in the opinion section of the Miami Herald. It tackled the subject of zero tolerance policies in public schools. The Miami Herald Editorial Board wanted to inform residents of the state of Florida about the changes to the policies in Miami-Dade and Broward County in order to hopefully create change in the rest of the state of Florida. The Miami Herald believed that by having zero tolerance policies in place, it would end up leading children into a life of crime. Prior to 2009, the Florida Legislators took a zero tolerance approach to all schools. For example, if a student threw a spitball, threw a punch, or cursed at a teacher, the school would have to call the cops. One bad decision led to a police record, making it harder for that student to get a job, a loan, or go into the military. According to the Miami Herald, if troubled students received counseling or mentoring, they would eventually learn to stay away from a life of crime. However, I disagree with the article. The Miami Herald mostly just used facts and statistics to prove their point, so I do not think it was very convincing. According to the article, Miami-Dade County and Broward County have had 30% less arrests and suspensions in their schools today due to the change in policy in 2009. However, does that fact even matter? Of course there are going to be less arrests and suspensions when the main form of punishment is counseling. Also, many of the teenagers that make minor mistakes will probably make major ones too if they do not get seriously punished. If the counterargument had been addressed and refuted more, I think that the article would have been much more effective. Before reading this article, I did not think that schools should relieve some of the zero tolerance policies, and after reading my opinion has not changed. Therefore, I do not think that the Miami Herald achieved their purpose.