Schools' use of zero tolerance policies has been increasing since the 1980s as part of a societal movement to crack down on drug abuse and violence among youth. But far from making schools safer, this harsh, inflexible approach to discipline has been eroding the culture of schools and creating devastating consequences for children, writes Browne-Dianis. In this article, she presents statistics about the increase in school suspensions and student arrests and describes individual cases that demonstrate the senselessness of harsh discipline practices. She also describes school districts that have revised their discipline codes, developing alternatives to zero tolerance in the form of positive support and interventions.