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Good reason for zero tolerance

To the editor,

Zack Armstrong is wrong to claim that the students guilty of fighting in Decatur have a right to an education.

They do not deserve to be in school. The Decatur anti-violence policy is called "zero tolerance" for a reason. What number would Mr. Armstrong use in place of zero? Once he has decided to adulterate that policy when it is convenient, where will he draw the line? If violence is tolerated, it is guaranteed to escalate, and the rewards will go to the most brutal. This is the situation that many schools are in today, and it will not help to excuse those who don't use a lethal weapon, or who have been offered a scholarship (which isn't the least bit relevant to the crime that was committed).

When an individual turns to violence, he declares himself beyond the reach of reason. To insist that society owes these boys an "education" is an affront to everything the word signifies.

Bryan Hochstetler

Philosophy junior