If Baltimore can have a school for the arts, why can't we have schools that can bring out the talent that's being hidden behind negative behavior? Students who exhibit behavior that goes beyond the school's discipline code should get the same attention (specialized instruction). Each section of Baltimore could have a school near its community.

If innovative concepts gfeared toward reducing discipline problems are not taken seriously, Baltimore's school system will continue to be the whipping dog for critics of public education.

I hope the new mayor will take this issue into consideration or find new ways of addressing this concern.

Larry K. Harcum

Baltimore

MA (This letter was first published in the Forum Aug. 26, 1987.)