KANAWHA BOARD LOOKS AT DRUG COURT FOR SCHOOLS

Similar Program Already In Place In Cabell County

Students caught smoking marijuana at school could be sent to a special drug
court to help them get their act together.

Kanawha County school officials are partnering with circuit court judges,
parole officers and members of different law enforcement agencies to try to
secure a grant for the new program that would require students to take drug
classes, submit to random drug testing, follow a curfew and have their
school work monitored.

"We continuously see students getting in trouble with drugs over and over
again," Student Affairs director Sandy Boggs told board members at a
meeting Thursday night. "We're always saying we need to do something. This
is what we're hoping to do."

Last year in Kanawha County schools, there were nearly 80 instances of
marijuana use on school property.

That's up from about 45 last year.

Boggs said marijuana use was the top drug concern for school officials.

"It's a major, major problem," she said.

Marijuana possession ranks second with about 45 cases. That number is down
from about 65 last year.

Popping pills in school comes in third, with slightly more than 50 students
getting caught last year.

Alcohol and inhalants are also on the radar screen, Boggs said.

Boggs said she found a grant that would provide between $300,000 and
$400,000 a year for three years. She is meeting with police and court
officials Monday to work out the specifics of the program before writing
the grant.

The way Boggs envisions the drug court operating is that if a student is
caught with drugs, criminal charges would be filed. Parents would have to
agree to allow their child to enroll in the program and the student would
have to attend special classes at least once a week.

Someone from the school system would be assigned to monitor the student's
academics and law enforcement officials would conduct random drug tests and
make sure students followed a curfew on the weekends.

The program would last about five months, she said, and students who
successfully complete all the requirements would have the criminal charges
dropped. Those who fail to meet any of the requirements would be eliminated
from the drug court and regular criminal charges would be applied.

Currently, a student caught with drugs for the first time is suspended for
five days and forced to take a drug class. Boggs said many times they don't
attend and when they do, they find out who the other drug users and dealers
are and the cycle continues.

Cabell County has a similar program, the only other of its kind in the
state. So far, 40 students there have been sent to drug court and only two
dropped out.

Also at Thursday's meeting, board members decided to keep spring break in
late April next year.

Members of the Kanawha Federation of Teachers conducted a poll of 1,000
teachers and said the majority supported a later spring break.

Teachers originally voted to take a week off in late March, just before
students are scheduled to take statewide standardized tests. The board,
concerned about test scores, moved the break to April 21 to April 25.

While members of the union at first objected to the change, they said
Thursday they would support it.

However, the group does not approve of the board's handling of the situation.

"It wasn't right for you to make changes after we voted," said David
Anderson, president of the union.

The board agreed to set ground rules before planning the next school calendar.