Pubdate: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Copyright: 2000, The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Contact: PO Box 59038, Knoxville, TN 37950-9038 Website: http://www.knoxnews.com/ Forum: http://forums.knoxnews.com/cgi-bin/WebX?knoxnews Author: Scott Barker 15 STUDENTS SUSPENDED OVER PRESCRIPTION DRUG ALLEGATIONS Whittle Springs Girls Could Face Expulsion In what school officials are calling the largest drug-related disciplinary action in memory, 15 students have been suspended from Whittle Springs Middle School for possession of prescription drugs on school property in violation of Tennessee's zero-tolerance statute, officials said. The students -- who are all eighth-grade girls -- face one-year expulsions if they are found guilty in disciplinary hearings under way this week, Knox County schools spokesman Mike Cohen said. A single incident Nov. 10 triggered the suspensions at the North Knoxville school. "Last Friday two students at Whittle Springs Middle School apparently brought a variety of prescription drugs from home and passed them out to their friends," Cohen said. Cohen said Whittle Springs administrators acted swiftly when they received reports the pair were distributing pills. He said the two girls at the center of the probe apparently brought different medications to the school, but he wouldn't say what specific drugs were found. School officials identified 13 students who allegedly accepted the drugs, which automatically put them in violation of the zero-tolerance law, Cohen said. The 15 girls could be expelled for a calendar year if found guilty. Cohen said school administrators couldn't recall a drug incident of similar magnitude and wouldn't speculate on when to expect decisions from the disciplinary hearings. "We try to look at these on an individual basis," Cohen said. "These are 15 personal tragedies for the families." If found guilty, the girls would have the right to appeal the verdict to the school board. They also would have the right to ask Superintendent Charles Lindsey for a modification of the sentence. The school system has reduced sentences meted out under the zero-tolerance policy before, Cohen explained, when serving the full sentence would force a student to return to classes in the middle of a semester. If the students are expelled, they will be ineligible for any alternative education programs offered by Knox County schools, Cohen said. "It kills us to put kids out of school," Cohen said, but "we are never going to accept drugs on school property." - --- MAP posted-by: Terry F