MPS: DRUG POLICY NEEDS TO BE FLEXIBLE

I applaud Milwaukee Public Schools' resolve to re-evaluate the student
discipline system ("Drugs wouldn't always lead to expulsion under MPS
proposal," Jan. 22).

I have had the infuriating, helpless feeling of sitting on an MPS expulsion
panel and having no choice but to expel a first-time offender who needed
counseling or alternative placement. Instead, such students are routinely
relegated to the streets. From that perspective, zero tolerance made no sense.

Officials need the flexibility to deal with individual cases. This is not a
call for leniency. Professionals need the flexibility to meet the needs of
each student, and a panel has few choices when its hands are tied by an
overly restrictive policy.

Steven Baruch

Milwaukee