Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: S.D. HARRINGTON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Students in Salem who are caught using drugs or alcohol for the first time now can be expelled.
The Salem School Board on Tuesday approved a ``zero-tolerance'' drug and alcohol policy, the toughest of all valley school districts'.
Neither Roanoke nor Roanoke County expels first-time offenders who use or possess drugs or alcohol.
But after a recommendation by Superintendent Wayne Tripp, the Salem board also made room for some discretion by the Disciplinary Review Committee, which reviews cases individually before recommending a penalty.
``We need a clear and unambiguous message of zero tolerance,'' Tripp said.
Tripp set forth regulations for the Disciplinary Review Committee to deal with drug- and alcohol-related cases. He also said the committee should be allowed to recommend a lesser penalty than expulsion and long-term suspension.
The committee should make its ruling based on the type of drug involved, ``whether it be cocaine, marijuana or beer,'' Tripp said. The amount involved should also be taken into consideration, he added.
Under the previous policy, a student caught using or possessing drugs or alcohol for the first time was automatically suspended from school for up to 10 days.
Only on the second offense might a student be expelled or suspended for a full calendar year.
Under the new policy, that student would face expulsion or long-term suspension the first time - the same penalty given to first-time drug distribution offenders.
Another concern was a conflict the new policy would have with existing attendance regulations.
Class time that a student misses because of suspension cannot be made up, Tripp said. And some people - including parents, teachers and administrators - were concerned that students expelled for a first-time offense would not have the chance to catch up academically.
Tripp recommended that any first-time offender be given a chance to make up classwork through ways such as home-bound educational programs.
``For somebody who may have made one bad judgment, I'd like to give them the opportunity to earn their way back'' academically, Tripp said.
Tripp's recommendations came after a work session to discuss concerns brought up in October, when the School Board approved the new drug policy on first reading. The board was required to have two readings before making such an amendment.
by CNB