Pubdate: Thur, 9 Sept 1999 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Section: News,page 1 Author: John Gittelsohn-OCR STUDENTS STRUGGLE AFTER PUNISHMENT EDUCATION: Parents Of Kids Who Were Affected By Zero-tolerance Rules Say The Outcomes Were Negative. (Tustin) - The nine studentbody officers from Foothill High, accused of drinking alcohol at a leadership camp in Santa Barbara last month, all knew the consequences: Get caught drinking or doing drugs and face an automatic five-day suspension plus involuntary transfer to another school. But the long-term consequences are unknown, even to the people who wrote Tustin Unified School District's zero-tolerance policy. Last fall, five Foothill High football and baseball team members were punished under the zero-tolerance rule for allegedly smoking marijuana during lunch. What happened? "Two of them dropped out," said Jack Greenberg, whose son, Jason, was among the accused. "Two others barely made it through high school. But you could see in their face, in their body language, they weren't the same person. I don't know about the other guy." Jack Greenberg and parents of other athletes say their kids were wrongfully accused. They also argue that zero-tolerance rules are too rigid and long-lasting for what is often a stupid-kid decision. And they question how well it works as a deterrent. "It obviously didn't scare those student-body officers," said Jim Pierson, whose son, Britton, is still working on his high school equivalency at a community college. School districts around Orange County are constantly reassessing their policies on drug and alcohol use. Laguna Beach Unified, for example, is redrafting its policy to require in-school suspensions, counseling and community service - not expulsion. Tustin Unified is also considering revisions. "I'm not convinced a single punishment is working," said board member Francine Pace Scinto. "The long-term effects need to be considered." A panel of administrators is scheduled to hear appeals from the suspended studentbody officers on Friday. The nine include several honor students with ambitions to attend University of California or Ivy League schools, according to friends. Those dreams could die if they are found guilty of drinking. David Shores, an attorney who has represented more than 100 students accused of zero-tolerance violations, including the Foothill High athletes, said the policy usually kills college plans. "Virtually every instance I've had, students end up at junior college instead of a four-year college," he said. The Foothill athletes were not honor students. Britton Pierson and Jason Greenberg both had learning disabilities and struggled with their grades, their parents said. Greenberg, who played defensive end on Foothill's football team before his suspension, graduated from Tustin High in June thanks to counseling from a rabbi and intense supervision from his parents. "I was afraid to leave him alone. He was very, very depressed," said Marta Greenberg, whose son is attending Rancho Santiago Community College. Jim Pierson said his son hopes to play baseball again while earning his high school equivalency diploma at Saddleback Community College. "He's just now coming out of it," Pierson said of his son, who wants to become a professional baseball pitcher. "A pro scout told me that he wouldn't look at my son until we clean up his baggage. It destroyed my boy. Not one positive has come out of it." Some parents whose children have not broken rules wonder what they would do if their children made a similar mistake. "We are proud our son didn't do it," said Sylvie Tertzakian, a Foothill High mother whose son attended the leadership camp at University of California, Santa Barbara, but did not drink alcohol. "There's peer pressure. It can happen to anyone." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Gittelsohn Can Be - --- MAP posted-by: manemez j lovitto