RW> It seems to me that you are the one who don't understand HOW it is
 RW> used.  I've seen it FIRST HAND. Zero Tolerance (ZT) means just that
 RW> ZERO, none, nada, zilch tolerance for any violation of the rules.
Ok, Rich, do you wish to talk about schools or law enforcement? I read the
rest of your message, and you are using school examples as an argument
against zero tolerance programs in a law enforcement environment. The two are
completely different. There is also a HUGE difference between a SCHOOL RULE
and a PUBLIC LAW. You are mixing the two while discussing law enforcement. It
is probably against the rules to chew gum in class, but that is not against
the law. Glucose tabs may be against the rules in school, but they are not
against the law. If you talk in school without raising your hand and waiting
to be recognized, the teacher might take away the happy face next to your
name, but there is no public law regarding this. So, there are TWO completely
different discussion topics: 1) school rules and policies; 2) public law
enforcement. The TWO are not the same.
 RW> The rules say no student may have "drugs" in their possession.
 RW> It doesn't matter if the "drugs" are 100 hits of LSD and a pound
 RW> of cocaine or a single marijuana seed or a metered dose inhalant
 RW> (MDH) prescribed by a MD and maybe necessary to prevent a trip to
 RW> the ER or even death.  The student can not have either on them or
 RW> they will be expelled.
This is a perfect example of a school rule, not a public law. If you wanted
to talk about a law enforcement program, this would not be part of the
discussion, as this is a school program. If you wanted to give an example of
a SCHOOL POLICY or RULE taken too far, this would be a great argument. LSD,
COCAINE, and other street drugs are obviously covered by PUBLIC LAW. The
prescribed medication is completely legal in the hands of the person it was
prescribed for, even though it may be against the school policy or rule.
 RW> If the rules say no weapons allowed, defines a weapon as a knife
 RW> and anyone caught with a weapon will be expelled. If you bring a
 RW> butter knife in your lunch box and the teacher sees it you are
 RW> expelled, you're gone, ada there, goodbye.
This is another perfect example of a school rule, not a public law. Again, if
you wanted to talk about a law enforcement program, this would not be part of
the discussion, as this is a school program. Rich, I think your points are
extremely valid in the discussion of school policies and rules, but they have
nothing to do with law enforcement. I think your examples of school policies
taken beyond common sense are very logical.
Rich, I would simply ask you to make a distinction between school policies
and public law. A zero tolerance law enforcement program would not utilize
school policies or rules, rather existing PUBLIC LAW.
Tom Rightmer - A Victims' Rights Advocate
... Captain! Someone snorted the dilithium crystals.
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