Pubdate: Fri, 24 May 2002
Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)
Copyright: 2002, Denver Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

SIXTEEN MAHOMET STUDENTS EXPELLED FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG OFFENSES

MAHOMET, Ill.- Sixteen high school students have been expelled after school 
officials, acting on a tip from a parent, broke up a prescription drug ring 
that sold Ritalin and painkillers.

The Mahomet-Seymour High School students were caught in the past two weeks 
with some combination of Ritalin, given to children with attention deficit 
disorder, and the addictive painkillers OxyContin and Hydrocodone.

Superintendent John Alumbaugh said students were selling their own 
medication, their parents' medication or drugs acquired from siblings.

"We had this going on right under our nose," Principal Del Ryan said. "We 
didn't know it was occurring. I tend to be a very visible principal."

Four weeks ago, Ryan got a call from a parent concerned his son had taken 
OxyContin from the parent's medicine cabinet to sell at school.

That parent and another gave Ryan a list of students they thought were 
involved. The following week, Ryan said he interviewed between 30 and 40 
students and started charting the distribution network.

"I give the parents all of the credit for being concerned about the safety 
and well-being of the students," Ryan said. "They weren't concerned about 
what was going to happen to their sons. ... Had it not been for parents 
that Friday night, we would not have had any information about this."

Seven of the students were expelled for the rest of this year and all of 
next year. The rest were expelled for this year and will be put on 
disciplinary probation next year.

The Mahomet Police Department would not say whether any of the students had 
been charged and referred questions to the school. Ryan said Friday he did 
not know whether any of the students had been charged. The state's attorney 
office did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Ritalin is easy for students to obtain because it is often prescribed to 
calm young children with attention deficit disorder. As people get older, 
the drug acts as a stimulant.

OxyContin, a time-release version of Oxycodone, is widely prescribed for 
victims of moderate to severe chronic pain resulting from arthritis, back 
trouble or cancer. But those who abuse the drug crush it, then snort or 
inject it, producing a quick, heroin-like high.

Ryan and Alumbaugh both plan to launch new education efforts for parents as 
well as students. Ryan plans to meet with each class at the beginning of 
next school year to give them all the details of what happened and 
hopefully get them involved in solving the drug problem.

Morris Mosley, a youth counselor at Prairie Center for Substance Abuse, 
suggested the school have drug counselors easily accessible for students to 
talk to about their problems or those of a friend. He also said drugs 
should be a regular agenda item for school safety committees.

"It should be: What are we hearing in other schools and what are we doing 
about that here?" Mosley said. "If other schools have had a problem, kids 
have already heard about it."
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