Zero Tolerance (ZT) policies were popularized in America's school systems after a series of school shootings in the 1990s. The original purpose of ZT was to deter violence and weapon presence in the schools by enacting harsh punishments for those who violated the policy. The general public influenced schools to increase security in an effort to keep students safe (Kafka, 2011; McAndrews, 2001) which thus led to the school resource officer (SRO) as a regular addition to school staff. While research suggests mixed results (insignificant to moderate effects) of ZT policies on students bringing weapons to school, there does not appear any evidence that ZT is effective in reducing school violence or increasing school safety. SROs and Administrators are responsible for effectively and properly implementing ZT legislation in the school system, as they are the final decision-makers regarding the consequences of a student's infraction. Therefore, the two groups must collaborate if the policy is to be successfully implemented and, thus, share congruent perceptions regarding ZT and its effectiveness. Incongruent beliefs about ZT effectiveness could ultimately impact collaboration among the two groups, which could thus negatively impact the fidelity of ZT implementation. Researchers have explored perceptions of ZT among SROs and Administrators independently; however, there is a gap in the literature in terms of the specific differences of ZT perceptions between the two groups. Therefore, the purpose of this research study was to explore whether perceptions of ZT among Florida SROs and Administrators differ, especially with regard to the effectiveness of ZT policies in Florida's schools. This study also explored perceptions of Florida's newest ZT law, SB1540. The research questions and hypotheses of this study were as follows: Research Question 1: Are there differences in the perception of ZT policies among Florida Administrators and SROs? Hypothesis 1a: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about the overall effectiveness of ZT. Hypothesis 1b: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about the purpose of ZT. Hypothesis 1c: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about the effectiveness of ZT on student conduct. Hypothesis 1d: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about the effectiveness of ZT on school safety. Hypothesis 1e: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about staff implementation of ZT policies. Research Question 2: Are there differences in the perception of effectiveness of recent ZT policy legislation (specifically Florida SB1540, 2009) among Florida Administrators and SROs? Hypothesis 2a: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about the overall effectiveness of SB1540. Hypothesis 2b: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about how SB1540 impacted the number of suspensions at their school. Hypothesis 2c: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about how SB1540 impacted the number of expulsions at their school. Hypothesis 2d: Florida school Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about how SB1540 impacted the number of juvenile justice referrals at their school. Hypothesis 2e: Florida school Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about how SB1540 impacted student conduct at their school. Hypothesis 2f: Florida Administrators and SROs will have different perceptions about staff implementation of SB1540. The hypotheses were tested by a series of MANOVA and chi-square analyses, which indicated that Florida school Administrators and SROs do not have statistically different perceptions regarding the overall effectiveness of ZT and SB1540. In addition, the two groups did not have significantly different perceptions regarding the purpose of ZT or effectiveness of ZT on student conduct and school safety. Significant findings revealed different perceptions regarding staff implementation of ZT and SB1540 policies. Lastly, results indicated that SROs and Administrators had statistically different perceptions regarding the impact of SB1540 on the number of suspensions, expulsions, juvenile justice referrals, and student conduct in their school. The findings related to ZT effectiveness are consistent with public perception, which is in contrast with empirical research on the subject. However, the results regarding differences in perceptions regarding staff implementation of the policies remain consistent with the literature in regards to opinions of the SRO's role and effectiveness of SRO programs (Johnson, 1999; NASRO, 2001). It is important that the two groups collaborate and develop a strong partnership in order for the policies to be implemented as intended, as incongruence and lack of partnership could lead to conflict among the two groups (Atkinson, 2002). / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2013. / October 14, 2013. / School Administrators, School Resource Officers, Zero Tolerance / Includes bibliographical references. / Angela Canto, Professor Directing Dissertation; William Doerner, University Representative; Frances Prevatt, Committee Member; Jeannine Turner, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_185176 |
| Contributors | Taylor, Nicki Wright (authoraut), Canto, Angela (professor directing dissertation), Doerner, William (university representative), Prevatt, Frances (committee member), Turner, Jeannine (committee member), Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
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