Rolling Back Zero Tolerance: Oklahoma Edition

The
pushback against zero tolerance continues with the Common Sense
Zero Tolerance Act, a proposed bill in Oklahoma. KWTV reports:

“Real intent,
real threats and real weapons should always be dealt with
immediately. We need to stop criminalizing children’s imagination
and childhood play,” explained [state Rep.] Sally Kern, Republican
from Oklahoma City.

“If there’s no real intent, there’s no real threat, no real weapon,
no real harm is occurring or going to occur, why in the world are
we in a sense abusing our children like this.”…

House Bill 2351 states schools shall not “punish, humiliate,
intimidate, be condescending to, or bully a student” who has
“possession of a toy weapon.”

It also prevents schools from punishing students “using a finger or
hand to simulate at weapon,” “vocalizing imaginary firearms” or
“drawing a picture of a firearm.”

One common complaint about zero tolerance policies is that
they’re inflexible—that by imposing an absolute prohibition, they
erase the sort of discretion that allows officials to distinguish
genuinely dangerous behavior from harmless play. The Oklahoma
bill’s opponents are trying to turn that argument around, claiming
that Kern’s legislation would do something similar:

[T]he Oklahoma Education Association isn’t on board
with Kern’s proposed law.

“I fully trust Oklahoma educators to handle student discipline in
an appropriate case-by-case manner. The proposed legislation
removes local control from teachers, counselors, administrators and
local school boards. Educators are degreed professionals, trained
and experienced in dealing with children,” explained O.E.A
President Linda Hampton.

The text of the proposed law is
here. It’s entertaining reading, because it spells out in
intricate detail just what those degreed professionals would be
prohibited from punishing, from “Brandishing a pastry or other food
which is partially consumed in such a way that the remnant
resembles a weapon” to “Vocalizing imaginary firearms or
munitions.”

Bonus link: “5
Ridiculous School Security Scares.”