Even after they are confronted and it becomes clear that there is no safety threat or intent to harm anyone, school administrators proceed to substitute their professional judgment for rigidly-prescribed zero tolerance penalties. Often, due process is bypassed. Overwhelmingly, it is African American and Latino students whose futures are wrecked by zero tolerance policies. Too often, we receive reports of cases where white students are given the benefit of the doubt, while students of color are presumed guilty until they can prove themselves innocent, if they are even afforded the privilege of a defense. There is a huge reporting deficiency in disciplinary actions in U.S. public schools .
Some school districts collect comprehensive data, while others collect minimal data.
For example, some districts collect discipline data that is fully broken down by race, gender and age, while others simply collect total disciplinary actions. Some districts do not have data that distinguishes the suspensions from expulsions. Most have no way of tracking which offenses and penalties fall within the zero tolerance policies. This makes it difficult to tell what is really going on. Even when the data is collected, there can be inconsistencies.