I'm not in favor of omitting the deadlift. Mainly because if you teach it right there is nothing inherently dangerous about the lift. If you work/coach in an environment that is not conducive to teaching things properly and supervising, then I can see a reason for omission, but kids could just as easily get hurt on unsupervised squats.
Especially for young athletes who need to build up their strength and muscle mass, they need to DL.