Grading policies, part 1

Many years ago, when I averaged grades for progress reports, (we did it manually back then. At least i had the benefit of a calculator.) I realized that one of my middle school students had a very low average. I think it was a 17. He had turned in almost no work, and all I had to work with were two papers. I think one was classwork and the other was a quiz. Poor dear, this was my first encounter with the I-don't-give-a-shit attitude. I went right to my principal and asked for feedback. She asked only one question: Has the student had the opportunity to succeed?(her emphasis, not mine) Well, of course he'd had the opportunity; he hadn't missed a day of school, he'd had the same opportunity as his classmates. More, actually, since he was repeating the grade. So he was getting a SECOND opportunity to show what he was learning. But, he refused to lift a finger. I was confused by the principal's question, until she followed up with a barely veiled directive to record a grade no lower than, I think, 60.
I was stunned. Literally could not form words. Here was a kid not doing a thing for himself, and I should had him a grade. That bothered me. It bothered me even more when I sat down to finish progress reports, and saw that some of my struggling students had done their bery best and were earning.... (wait for it)....
63. or less. This seemed to me a slap in the face of students who had actually done something for themselves, were at least making an effort, and here was their 'reward'. Almost the same grade they could get by doing aboslutely nothing.
Well, here we are, many years later, and a school district in the southern part of this state has codified a grading policy (now they describe it as a proposal, but that's not what a lot of their teachers and parents understood last week) that requires students not receive zeros, and failed tests must be re-taken. So, I don't have to do the work till I'm damn well good and ready, and I don't have to study for the test until I've seen what's on it, then go home and study for the 'retake'. The newspaper item is below, followed by  many, many comments. Read 'em all. It ain't pretty. Also a couple of news links from the community in question:
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/02/03/no-zeros-in-school-any-longer-but-arent-there-well-deserved-zeros/
http://valdostadailytimes.com/local/x2009900343/School-system-grades-policy-gets-national-exposure
http://valdostadailytimes.com/opinion/x1669710198/School-policy-fails-expectations