While administrators are worrying

themselves over what your honor student may have in her car, a true predator,

intent on harming his fellow students, needs only a moment to wreak terrible

havoc. This moment is immune to the process of zero-tolerance. I'll state

it this way: Good students have much to fear from a zero-tolerance weapons

policy. A slight oversight on the part of a youngster could lead to her

expulsion or jail time. True predators, on the other hand, have nothing

to fear, because such consequences are meaningless.

Fayette County needs to protect

its schools from predators intent on harming students or faculty. As school

systems nationwide are beginning to understand, zero-tolerance weapons

policies are not the way to proceed. Wake up and join the real world,

Fayette County.

The role of leadership involves

sorting though gray areas, making tough difficult judgment calls, and

being accountable for the decisions made. When it comes to protecting

students in Fayette County, the leaders in our schools, thanks to "zero-tolerance"

weapons policies, sidestep any form of leadership and accountability.

I view this impotent leadership as just another reason to not enroll a

child in a public school.

Curtis Grens

Atlanta

FCHS class of 1998