Baltimore's school board voted 5-2 Tuesday night to adopt a policy that allows students to be permanently expelled for setting fires or other violent acts that threaten the safety of staff and students.

The vote came after months of public comment and haggling over the details of the policy. In the end, the board and schools CEO Andrés Alonso compromised. Alonso retained his authority to permanently expel students, but under more narrow circumstances and with a greater weight given to the student's home life and experiences, and right to due process.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland as well as Legal Aid attorneys representing students who had been expelled last year opposed the policy, as did many parents.

David Stone, a board member who had opposed the policy, decided to vote for it, saying that he believed the process had been "democratic" and involved productive debate among board members. George VanHook and Jerrelle Francois were the only two members to vote against the policy.

Alonso thanked the board and said the policy that was approved was "infinitely superior" to the one originally proposed. He said that he had taken seriously the public's concerns and had continued to revise the policy up until the last day.