"Zero Tolerance: Education and Justice for All" Presented by HUC-UC Ethics Center in Cincinnati

The HUC-UC Center for the Study of Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems presented “Zero Tolerance: Education and Justice for All” on Tuesday, April 9, 2002 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm in Mayerson Hall Auditorium at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 3101 Clifton Avenue. This half-day seminar on the issue of zero tolerance school discipline policies featured leading thinkers and practitioners discussing the complexities of this issue. Dr. Laurence Thomas, Professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University, presented the keynote address "The Role of Parents in the Social and Moral Development of Children."

Daniel J. Losen, Legal and Advocacy Associate at Harvard University, delivered the Donald J. and Dr. Norma K. Stone Ethics Lecture "Why Zero Tolerance is a Civil Rights Issue: The Harvard Civil Rights Project" as part of this seminar. Losen is the principal investigator for the Conference on Minority Issues in Special Education. Before becoming an attorney, he taught in public schools for nearly 10 years, including founding an alternative public school. He and Professor Christopher Edley, Jr. of the Harvard Civil Rights Project have co-authored a chapter on legal challenges to zero tolerance in a book on school discipline policy.

Col Owens from The Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati and University of Cincinnati College of Law moderated the panel discussion "Discipline Policies in Secondary Public Schools" that followed the presentations by Thomas and Losen. Panelists included Rosa E. Blackwell, Deputy Superintendent, Cincinnati Public Schools; Elaine E. Fink, Senior Attorney, The Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati; Ann Lugbill, Attorney and Board Member, Cincinnati Parents or Public Schools; Tom Mooney, President, Ohio Federation of Teachers; and Dr. Lynn Wallich, Ombudsperon/Assistant Director of Consumer Affairs, State of Ohio Department of Education.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit and Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit was available. "Zero Tolerance: Education and Justice for All" was sponsored by Donald J. and Dr. Norma K. Stone Lecture Fellowship, Harris K. Weston Institute for Law and Public Policy, The Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, and HUC-UC Center for the Study of Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems and made possible with the help of BeechAcres, The Children’s Law Center, HUC-JIR, and UC College of Law. For more information, contact (513) 221-1875 ext. 367 or ethics@huc.edu.

Established in 1986, the HUC-UC Center for the Study of Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems is dedicated to the study of contemporary moral problems on the basis of values that are at the heart of Judeo-Christian and secular ethical traditions. It provides a forum for open discussion and reflection on important moral dilemmas that arise in modern life, and promotes the incorporation of ethical values in personal life, professional practice, and community development.