Pubdate: Thu, 24 Nov 2005
Source: Bradenton Herald (FL)
Copyright: 2005 Bradenton Herald
Contact:  http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58
Author: Rebecca Blue, staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

HAILE FINDS 2 STUDENTS WITH DRUGS

Principal Says Kids Sold Marijuana And Hallucinogenic  Mushrooms At
Middle School

EAST MANATEE - For the second time in a week, the  Manatee County
School District's zero tolerance policy  line has been crossed.

Two Haile Middle School students were arrested by the  school's
resource officer within the last week for the  possession of
marijuana. The students were taken to the  Juvenile Detention Center.

Manatee County Sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said  the amount of
marijuana the students had was minimal  and will most likely result in
a misdemeanor charge.

In a letter sent to Haile Middle School parents  Wednesday, principal
Janet Kerley reported an  investigation into students selling
marijuana and  hallucinogenic mushrooms on campus and in their East 
Manatee subdivisions.

She did not identify the neighborhoods.

"Our investigation began when a student reported to a  teacher that he
saw someone offering to sell other  students marijuana. We found a
small amount of  marijuana on the reported student and in turn were
led  to a second student who had a larger amount on him,"  Kerley wrote.

The investigation found that five additional students  were selling
drugs and one was in possession of drugs  with no intent to sell.

During interviews, Kerley discovered the students were  getting the
mushrooms from local pastures and the  marijuana from dealers,
according to the letter.

All of the students were suspended and may face  expulsion in
accordance with the zero-tolerance policy,  according to Kerley.

"Selling drugs is an expellable offense, meaning the  students would
not be allowed to return to this campus  this school year," Kerley
wrote. "First-time possession  is a suspendable offense. A second
school possession  any time during their school career is also an 
expellable offense."

Middle school director Louis Robison concurred with  Kerley's
statement.

"We have zero tolerance for drugs for all schools in  our district.
The principal's actions to investigate  the situation was a good one,"
Robison said.

Robison said the drug-related incident is one of less  than five that
have occurred in the district's middle  schools this school year.

"I wouldn't say it's common, but rather isolated. It  happens on
occasion," Robison said.

Robison termed the incidents a matter of poor judgment.

"Kids make mistakes. They have poor judgment. But even  though we have
a few kids that have an error in  judgment, others make up for it by
letting the  authorities know," Robison said.

A Nolan Middle School eighth-grader was suspended last  week for
bringing a 3-inch pocket knife to school. He  will go in front of an
expulsion panel Dec. 1 to decide  whether he can return to Nolan.

The Haile Middle School investigation is continuing and  as more names
come up, more students will be  questioned, Kerley wrote.

A juvenile referral, referred to as a capias request  for adult-age
arrestees, has been issued for a third  student, according to Bristow.

Also in the letter, Kerley asks parents to discuss  drugs with their
children.

"Please take this opportunity to discuss this important  issue with
your children. . . . If we want a drug-free  campus, we depend on
parents and students to let us  know when they hear about drugs or
know what kids on  this campus are involved, so we can act," Kerley
wrote.

Robison also believes parents can help in the effort.

"Parents should be talking to their kids of the dangers  of drugs.
They can't shy away from it. They need to  take an active and
aggressive role in this and ask  their kids how things are going at
school," Robison  said.

Mill Creek resident Jana Moran's children will attend  Haile Middle
School in the future. Moran was surprised  to hear drug use was
hitting so close to home.

"Well, I guess it does surprise me," Moran said. "But  then I think
about the global perspective and I realize  we can't live with
blinders on."

Gates Creek resident Dena Stewart, whose grandson,  Larry White, will
also attend Haile Middle School, was  sad to hear about the presence
of drugs on campus.

"It's hard to say what the school should do about  this," Stewart
said. "I'm sure they would do anything  they could to stop this."

Stewart suggested an informal assembly to address  problems like this
when they occur. That's how she was  brought up in the school system,
she said.

"The meetings were about things we needed to open our  eyes to and
take seriously," Stewart said. "It wasn't  pounded into you, but it
made you aware and a little  ashamed."

Kerley also touched on the fact that illegal drugs are  widespread and
don't discriminate.

"Many of the students involved were getting good grades  and taking
upper-level classes," Kerley said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin