"Maybe some of the thousands of disruptive, violent or criminal students Wake County suspends each year need a more constructive alternative than getting kicked out of school."
In-school suspensions, reform schools or community service might be better alternatives than life at home, in a gang, or on the street, away from the chance to learn.
But if Wake's school board tinkers with its "zero-tolerance" disciplinary policy, as some board members want to do, it should take care not to make matters worse for teachers and the majority of students who work hard and behave.
The job of students is to learn. The job of teachers is to teach. The job of schools is to make it happen, not to coddle troublemakers.
Granted, some troubled students need and want help. They come from broken homes or suffer emotional, developmental or learning disabilities. We must not abandon them.
And there's no doubt that some misbehaving students booted from school only graduate to professional lives of crime, preying on innocent victims and requiring still more public attention, effort and treasure. Reform school is cheaper than prison. We need effective programs to shrink the pipeline of despair.