SCHOOL UNDER FIRE FOR SUSPENSIONS

The influential Australian Jewish News has come out with a strong
editorial against Moriah College for suspending 11 students for buying
or selling marijuana.

The newspaper today devotes eight pages to the controversy, which led
to a student rally at the school this week.Its editor in Sydney, Mr
Vic Alhadeff, said it had been the biggest issue in the past year.

The paper criticises the Bondi Junction school for failing to take
responsibility for rehabilitating the students and accuses it of
making "martyrs of those who have been penalised"."Suspending students
for 16 months is tantamount to expelling them," it adds, because they
will not want to uproot again.

The 11 students, from Years 8, 9, 10 and 12, were suspended until
2001.