Milwaukee's Daily Magazine Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008
Today
Hi: 63
Lo: 55
Wed
Hi: 64
Lo: 50
Thu
Hi: 70
Lo: 49
Section Sponsor
Article Tools
Print this Article
Make text larger
In Milwaukee Buzz
Sunday Sound-off: Should a 4-year-old get expelled for bringing pot to school?
The teacher says she found the weed in the boy's backpack when she checked it for school supplies.  
By Molly Snyder Edler RSS Feed
OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer

E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Molly Snyder Edler

Published Nov. 4, 2007 at 5:21 a.m.
Tags: mps, marijuana, 4-year-old, burdick elementary school, expelled

Last week, a teacher at Burdick Elementary School found a bag of marijuana in a 4-year-old boy's backpack. The boy's mother admitted the weed was hers, and police arrested her after finding more pot in the family's West Side home.

Milwaukee Public Schools has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs, so technically, the boy could get expelled for bringing a controlled substance to school. But what do you think, should the boy get expelled? Share your opinion by using the talkback feature.

No way. A 4-year-old has no idea what marijuana is, nor does he understand the implications of bringing it to school. Protective services already removed the kid from his home, so losing his school too would be even more traumatizing. Despite the "zero tolerance" policy, the district must recognize this is not the fault of the 4-year-old and he should not be punished any more than he already has been.

Yes. Unfortunately, in order to ensure "zero tolerance," the boy has to be expelled otherwise it could open the door to other situations that are potentially more harmful. The boy needs to learn the lesson that drugs are wrong and unlawful, and do not belong in a home or a school.

9 comments about this article.
Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by Preview
mitchgat Of course not! Common sense would dictate that a 4 year old child can't be held ...
Jerry Absent any law or policy that prevents the expulsion of kids under a certain ...
Jim getting the kid out of MPS would be doing him a favor!
T15 Bust the mom, not the kid. Legalize it, first but still bust the mom for letting ...
leprechaunshawn Of course he should be expelled. How anyone can say he shouldn't is ridiculous. ...


Show me the other 4 Talkbacks