re unleashed on the community without being given the opportunity to correct their behavior or their intellects.
Educator Allan Weinberg points out, "Schools reflect society. You must always remember that" (Friedrich & Bowen, 1988, February 1, p. 57). As such, schools have an obligation to use expulsion as the last resort. Instead, discipline should include a wide range of less drastic measures that attempt to modify behavior while keeping students part of the system. Such discipline must be fair, consistent, and clearly applied.
Schools are also struggling with a new twist. As classrooms all across the country become more diverse and multicultural, teachers and administrators often face the charge that minority students are disciplined more severely and more often than their white counterparts. Critics charge that black males are seen as a greater threat to classroom order and are therefore more likely to be punished for actions that would evoke less drastic responses when practiced by white students.
In September of 1999, a brawl at a high sch
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