Audrey Karr

July 22, 2020

EAD- 505 

Zero Tolerance Case Analysis

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Part 1: Case Analysis

In determining the case analysis of “Tolerance Test for Rancho” it is important to understand the

time, effort and work that goes into putting together a school plan. This also includes

incorporating a district policy like the “zero tolerance plan” that will mold the schools mission

and vision statement along with holding students accountable, by providing mandatory penalties

like suspensions and bringing in law enforcement for harsher punishments.  It’s also important to

note that following through with discipline measures must be tiered, based on severity but

consistent for all students to feel safe and successful in school.

Case Analysis 1-3

Rancho Elementary School, located in Carterville is known as one of the top performing schools

in the district.  The district decided that it was time to adopt a “zero-tolerance policy” that would

be implemented in every school. Although the school has been in good standings for model

behavior, it was still a plan that the district mandated be implemented.  After its final approval

from the help of the assistant principal and a 5th grade teacher, copies of the school plan were

sent out to staff and families.   Days later, a student was presenting a report in class and brought

a historical prop to share with the class. It turned out to be an old rare pistol her father found in

the attic. Immediately, the teacher asked the student to put the pistol back in the paper bag. She

said she would hold it until the end of the day and then give it back to the student to take home.

The next day, a parent from another household called and complained about the incident stating

they were angry because it gave their child nightmares. They wanted something done before they

took it to the superintendent and local media.  The stakeholders involved in this case are the

principal, teacher, parents, students and superintendent.

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Case Analysis 4-5

In 2018 a study was conducted saying that “gun free school zones” has reduced gun violence and

kept schools safer.  Once federal laws restricted having guns within 1,000 feet of a school zone,

it was noted that fewer students were carrying guns (Giffords Law Center, 2018).  

With this case, one can most likely identify with the punishment of school suspension for

bringing a weapon because it specifically violates district policy which relates to school safety

(Essex, 2016).  According to the Elko County School District possession of a firearm policy it

states:  

“Firearms, concealed or not, have no place on school property at any time for any reason,

whether or not the person is authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm, except.
1 Firearms possessed by law enforcement officers;

.
2 Firearms possessed by school police, and

.
3 In rare circumstances when; (a) there is a compelling need to carry a firearm onto school

. property; (b) the firearm will be possessed on school property in circumstances that ensure

the safety of all persons and (c) the person obtains the written permission of the principal

prior to entering the school property.”

The district policy is also clear on what the ramifications are for students possessing a firearm on

school property:
“Pursuant to N.R.S. 392.466(2), any student who is found in possession of a firearm while on

school property, at an activity sponsored by a school, or on a school bus, must for the first

occurrence, be expelled from the school for a period of not less than one year, although the

student may be placed in another kind of school for a period not to exceed the period of

expulsion. For a second occurrence, the student must be permanently expelled from the school,

and must receive equivalent instruction authorized by the State Board pursuant to N.R.S.

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392.070. On each occurrence, the discipline may be more severe if circumstances warrant.

Likewise, if the circumstances of a particular case warrant, the Superintendent may allow an

exception to this “firearm” mandatory expulsion requirement” (Elko County School District,

1997).

However, what happens when a student brings a historical artifact/weapon to school related to a

topic they were presenting and teaching about its historical features?  Do these same rules, laws

and policies still apply?

Case Analysis 6-8

When discussing the possible solutions to this case, a leader must understand that the laws are in

place to keep all staff and students safe. However, does the “one size fits all” apply to this

scenario?  No! Even though this item is not permitted in school and could possibly fit the policy

of a weapon, it is not a present firearm. This student brought an historical artifact dating back to

the 19th century discussing its voyage from England (Hanson, 2009). She was merely connecting

the artifact to a report she was sharing. There was no thought out plan or intent to hurt anyone.

Therefore, if I were in charge, I would have asked that the gun be given to me and locked up in a

secure location. During that time I would have contacted the School Resource Officer (SRO) to

retain the item until parents were notified to come pick it up. This would have been done that

day. I would also have informed the district office as soon as possible so that if this were to get

out to other parents, district office would be aware of the scenario, it would have documentation

and if legal counsel was needed they would be aware of the situation. Events like this are time

sensitive, so they need to be dealt with immediately.  

Case Analysis 9

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The moral and legal consequences of this solution is getting others to understand that the child

made an honest mistake in sharing a historical relic of its time that had no intent to harm others. 

The pistol was not active nor did it have ammunition in it.  The gun was not passed around and it

was immediately taken out of the child’s hands, placed in a locked and secure location until the

parents could come get it.  Legally this would be a tough case to determine what is ethically right

or wrong because the district's policy above does say, “no place on school property for any

reason” (Elko County School District, 1997). However, as the duty of a professional educator it

imperative that an ethic of care been seen by respecting students beliefs, cultural backgrounds,

religion and their emotional safety no matter if a student makes an unforeseen poor choice or not

(NASDTEC, 2015).

Part 2: Rationale

Using the schools mission and vision statement to safeguard the values of each student, along

with incorporating the “zero-tolerance” policy is important. However, understanding the research

data behind students who are suspended from school due to lack of respect for school policies is

something to consider when implementing this type policy. According to one research group, the

zero-tolerance policy has ineffectively changed student behaviors and in fact raised the

percentage of students who end up in the juvenile corrections system (Spare the Rod, 2016).

Why? Punishing students for bringing a weapon to school not only removes students out the

classroom, but they also fall behind in their academics and usually end up dropping out because

of their lack of presence in the classroom. This can leave long term effects on students,

especially in a case like “Tolerance Test for Rancho” where the student was just presenting a

report based off of the features of an old Victorian gun used back in the days. Does this student

deserve the same punishment as appose to a student whose intent in bringing a gun to school is to

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harm others? As an administrator I think this would take a bit more documentation to discuss the

differences but I do believe the consequences should be different. This student, whose parents

received a copy of the school plans stating the zero-tolerance policy days before could have been

considered ignorant to the policy and still allowed their child to bring the historical figure;

however, if an administrator were to look at this child’s history, they would see that their

attendance is good, behavior has never been an issue and grades have always been above and

beyond, including in this particular assignment. This school is in the heart of a small quaint

town with a variety of diverse religious families whom many stay home to work with their

children teaching them responsibility and providing the best life possible; therefore, such a

situation as this should be looked at as a lesson learned. I do believe that preventative actions

should be discussed and put in place so that a situation like this never happens again. I think

with the zero-tolerance policy there needs to be levels of severity so that not all students, who in

this case brought an item to school with no motif other than to educate other students should not

be shammed or shunned from school. It’s important to still keep high expectations and

communicate with parents, so they know the importance of what is and isn’t acceptable for

school. In this case it would have been wise for the parents to either have taken a picture of the

artifact to bring in or even call the school to determine what is appropriate for their child to bring

on campus.

As far as the upset parent, I would make a phone call and explain the scenario to her. I would

also reiterate that although we don’t allow weapons on campus this item was considered a

historical artifact and was not in any kind of working condition. I would also let the parent know

that I have discussed the issue with the district office and following protocol. It is not something

I would take lightly and would make sure that both sets of parents and students know that this

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not allowed. I would also encourage the teacher to make sure she communicates with me on this

situation and ask that parents are notified immediately to come get it from school as appose to

sending it home with the child after school. This avoids any safety concerns and shows that the

administrator is aware of the matter and in control.

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 References:

Elko County School District (1997). Student Discipline: Approval of Dangerous

Weapon/Firearm on Campus. Retrieved from:

https://go.boarddocs.com/nv/elkcsd/Board.nsf/Public#

Giffords Law Center (2018). Gun Violence. Retrieved from:

https://lawcenter.giffords.org/facts/gun-violence-statistics/

Hanson, Karen (2009). A Casebook for School Leaders. Tolerance Test for Rancho. (Third

Edition). Pearson Education. Retrieved from: http://gcumedia.com/digital-

resources/pearson/2008/a-casebook-for-school-leaders-custom_ebook_3e.php

NASDTEC (2015). Model Code of Ethics for Educators. Retrieved from:

https://www.nasdtec.net/page/MCEE_Doc#Principle%201

Winter, Catherine (2016). APM reports: Journalism from American Pubic Media. Spare the

Rod: Amid evidence zero tolerance doesn’t work, schools reverse themselves. Retrieved

from: https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2016/08/25/reforming-school-discipline