Kids These Days:

Now that we all agree that Corona del Mar High School is a good school that is emerging from a string of bad decisions by some adults in charge, let’s turn our attention to resolving the real issue behind the notorious Facebook video.

Three high school male students made a video threatening to rape and kill a fellow student, which was posted on Facebook for a few days. No criminal charges were filed, and the boys were suspended for a few days, not expelled.

The lack of appropriate punishment for what any reasonable person would agree is an act worthy of expulsion, shined a light on the district’s disciplinary policies, specifically, what they choose to call “zero tolerance.”

There is good news about zero tolerance in our school district, which is that there is no zero-tolerance policy, despite a policy with that name.

In a meeting last week with Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard, Becky Bishai, director of student services, Chuck Hinman, assistant superintendent for secondary education, and Laura Boss, the district’s spokeswoman, the policy and procedures were explained in detail.

First, a brief history.

Zero tolerance began in earnest about 25 years ago as a way for governments to demonstrate that they were mad as hell and weren’t going to take it anymore. So instead of fixing the real problem, which continues to be our judicial system, tough but absurd laws were passed to make everyone feel as though real progress was being made. Zero tolerance in schools began in earnest in the early 1990s.

Like its cousin, “three strikes,” zero tolerance was not thought through very well, and after the initial high-fiving of those in power, reality set in.

Ah, yes, reality. There is that, and there is perception. Your perception of zero tolerance is that anyone caught breaking the more serious rules in our schools is going to get tossed immediately. There is no hearing, no presentation of extenuating circumstances and no one to declare a student expelled other than the school principal.

That is the perception. The reality is that none of that ever occurs, or will ever occur in our district.

According to Hinman, expulsions are often complicated, particularly when there is no adult witness. As a result, “Administrators have to be experts at evidence,” Hinman said.

Bishai told me the steps required before a student is expelled.

It is a complicated process that can take weeks, but can never happen at the school level.

“Schools have no power to expel,” Bishai said. “Only the board can expel a student.”

And in case you were wondering what is taken into consideration, it is as it should be. Prior infractions and the student’s overall performance are factors.

I asked the group whether the fact that the Facebook boys had not been expelled would set a bad precedent, that is, whether parents could point to the lack of appropriate punishment as a reason for the district to go easy on their own kid.

Counter to some of the speculation, the standing of the student’s parents is never a factor.

“This is a quality decision-making process,” Hinman said. “We never consider ‘bigwigs’ in the decision. But there are confidentiality issues and internally, we know all the facts. These hearings do not take place in public, and there is zero transparency.”

In other words, the decision-makers often know things we don’t, but the process prevents these facts from being revealed.

The school board voted to call the current policy “zero tolerance,” even though it is not, and we really should not care.

What we should care about is whether there is any danger of a kid being expelled for carrying a butter knife to school to spread the cream cheese on his bagel or whether really bad kids will get off lightly.

“We are not going to tolerate nonsense,” Hinman said, “but we can’t trample on their rights.”

Happy birthday today to my son, Roy, 17, who continues to surprise and delight.

STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer. Send story ideas to dailypilot@latimes.com .