School safety and student discipline represents a concern for a number of education stakeholders.  Parents consistently cite school safety as a prominent concern when choosing schools, and teachers recognize that a safe and orderly classroom is necessary for student learning (Friedman, Bobrowski, Geraci, 2006).  Paralleling the increased use of harsh sentencing and “get tough” policies in the criminal justice system, the last several decades have seen schools shift toward zero tolerance policies and increased use of exclusionary disciplinary methods such as suspension.  We have suggestive evidence that zero tolerance policies do not decrease student misbehavior as predicted by deterrence theory (Matjasko, 2011).  Furthermore, zero tolerance policies appear to contribute to the disproportionate use of exclusionary disciplinary policies against black students (Hoffman, 2014).  This study utilizes nationally representative data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988.  Utilizing ordinary least squares regression with a robust set of student, family, and school background controls, I explore the relationship between more zero tolerance (severe) disciplinary policies and student disciplinary, academic, and later-life outcomes.  I also explore the moderating effects of student race on the relationship between the disciplinary policy and student outcomes.  Preliminary results suggest a positive relationship between the degree of zero tolerance policy and the use of exclusionary discipline policies such as suspension and expulsion.  The relationship between such policies and other measures of student misbehavior, such as getting in fights or skipping class, shows no relationship.  Schools serving larger portions of minority students are also found to have higher rates of zero tolerance disciplinary procedures.  Implications for future research and policy are discussed.