November 1, 2016

In Pennsylvania, as around the nation, zero tolerance took on a life of its own. Particularly over the last 15 years, it infected the culture of schools so that an even broader range of behaviors and conflicts, like school uniform violations or talking back to adults, became the basis for removal from school, even when removal was not required by law. Originally published in November 2013, this 2015 updated report explains zero tolerance and why there needs to be reform.