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.