Pubdate: Sun, 01 Oct 2000
Source: Munster Times (IN)
Copyright: 2000 The Munster Times
Contact:  The Times, 601 45th Ave., Munster, IN 46321
Fax: (219) 933-3249
Website: http://www.thetimesonline.com/
Author: Dan Baron

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ALCOHOL, DRUGS UNDER SCRUTINY

Merrillville Expulsion Case Personifies Problem Schools Face.

Karen Haupert of Cedar Lake had a sickening sense of deja vu as she read 
the story of a young woman who faces expulsion from Merrillville High 
School for alleged possession of alcohol on school property.

While controversy flared all week around the case of honor student 
Chauntese Williams, Haupert felt the sting from last year's decision by the 
Lowell-based Tri-Creek Schools to expel her son Craig for drinking at a 
football game. Haupert, her family and many friends felt the penalty was 
far too severe for the incident, which she said was an aberration for her son.

"As far as I'm concerned, zero tolerance stands for zero brains," she said. 
"The school didn't have the guts to help this kid. I'm glad that his 
college decided to give him a chance this year."

Had her son attended another school district, it's quite possible that the 
result would have been different. When it comes to making tough decisions 
about how schools handle discipline matters stemming from alcohol or drug 
violations, school districts are largely on their own.

Most, though, have at least wrestled with the idea of zero tolerance, which 
the U.S. Department of Education has defined as a policy that mandates 
"predetermined consequences or punishments for specific offenses."

"School districts have 100 percent local discretion on how students are 
disciplined in these cases," said Gayland Nettles, state attendance officer 
for the Indiana Department of Education.

In Illinois, State Board of Education spokesman Tom Hernandez emphasized 
that "state law never uses the term 'zero tolerance.' But first and 
foremost, discipline is a matter of local control."

Merrillville Furor

The Merrillville case shows once again that parents, schools and other 
organizations are often on different pages when it comes to resolving a 
drug or alcohol-related violation by a student.

For Sharon Williams, the mother of Chauntese Williams, zero tolerance 
approaches "are not fair because they don't consider everything. They just 
say, 'If you are doing this, you are out.'"

She emphasized that her daughter is an honor roll student and member of her 
school's concert choir.

Chauntese Williams said a former student asked her to carry a bottled 
beverage, which she thought was apple juice. A teacher confiscated the 
bottle, which was determined to contain a mixture of water and wine. A 
breath test showed Williams had not been drinking.

Tony Lux, superintendent of Merrillville Schools, would not comment on the 
specifics of the case.

But he stressed that schools need to be evenhanded. Expulsion is his 
district's punishment for first-time offenses involving alcohol or drugs.

Lux said that schools "would face very tough accusations of discrimination" 
if they decided these kinds of cases based on a student's academic record 
or other considerations.

"Those very people who say we should make more subjective judgments may be 
the same ones who criticize that a few years down the road," he said.

Lux said historically there's a pendulum on discipline issues, and today's 
policies are a result of parents calling for tougher rules than existed 
previously.

Valerie Johnson, national education spokeswoman for Operation PUSH, 
emphasized the organization was not taking a position on school policy 
regarding alcohol or drugs, but on due process in the case.

"As a result of a quick rush to judgment, a lot of really good kids can 
lose their opportunity to be in school. Extenuating circumstances always 
play a role, even in the criminal justice system."

Johnson did not specifically link the Merrillville case with the Decatur, 
Ill., controversy last fall that led to the expulsion of six students.

However, she said, "There are without a doubt racial disparities on school 
discipline issues."

Johnson pointed to Operation PUSH research and studies conducted by Indiana 
University professor Russell Skiba that demonstrate these disparities.

African-American students constitute 17 percent of the national school-age 
population, but represented 32 percent of the total suspensions in 1997, 
according to a U.S. Department of Education study cited by Operation PUSH.

Punishment Vs. Treatment

When there's a violation, schools typically suspend students and then hold 
expulsion hearings.

One recurring theme is how to balance the punishment and treatment of 
students who violate alcohol and drug policies.

In Porter County, educator Jerry Kirby said she has seen a range of 
approaches while working with students at Portage and Valparaiso High Schools.

At Valparaiso High School, where she now works as student assistance 
coordinator, Kirby said the district comes up with a contract for students 
who have had a violation that includes a provision for random drug screenings.

"In Valparaiso, we changed the policy in 1988. We decided that we wouldn't 
expel kids if it was the first time they were involved, unless they were 
selling. The student has to agree to go through alcohol and drug abuse 
assessment at school or through a private entity."

"In Portage, if you were caught in possession or under the influence, you 
were expelled for a semester or year," Kirby said. "I thought that was an 
excellent policy."

Kirby said she doesn't believe one school's system would fit all schools.

"Schools have to be reflective of what their community wants," she said. 
"Just because something works in Valparaiso doesn't mean it's best for 
Portage or Chesterton."

In the Lowell-based Tri-Creek Schools, Superintendent Don Yeoman criticized 
one policy he helped create that led to the suspension, but not expulsion, 
of offending students. The policy emphasized counseling for students.

"When I got here, we saw that the number of students in trouble went up, 
and counseling in the school didn't work," he said. "We say it's the 
parent's responsibility. There is nothing provided financially by the state 
that would allow us to hire drug counselors."

Some students who are expelled, he said, are assigned to the district's 
alternative school, a fate that awaits some who have been expelled from 
Merrillville High School, as well.

Yeoman, who is president of the board of directors for the Partnership for 
a Drug-Free Lake County, said he believes educating young children on these 
issues can pay big dividends later on.

Gary Jones, assistant superintendent of Hammond Schools, said "expulsion is 
our policy" for these violations.

Jones added that in some cases, a hearing examiner will give a student 30 
days to enter a treatment program at their own expense, though that doesn't 
ensure the reversal of an expulsion.

"A lot would depend on the attitude of the youngster, parent and guardian. 
If there is evidence of willingness to overcome this mistake and undergo 
counseling, then possibly the hearing examiner can say, 'Here is what we 
will do.'"

Though students can be represented by counsel at school hearings, typical 
expulsion hearings are conducted by schools, not courts.

Jim Krygier, principal at Bloom Trail High School in Chicago Heights, said 
there is "a strong consideration for expulsion if a student is involved 
with alcohol or drugs. But the length of the expulsion often depends on the 
severity of what happened.

"We look at each case individually," he added.

Krygier said, "Students know exactly what the rules and consequences are. 
Policies have been pretty effective."

Meanwhile, Rocky Schiralli, director of the adolescent chemical dependency 
program at Porter-Starke Services in Valparaiso, said there must be room 
for treatment.

"It's a double-edged sword. Of course you do not want kids using drugs or 
drinking in school. But it's overly simplistic to kick them out. Then what 
do they do? They're just being unproductive."

Talking about student conduct is still taboo for many schools and parents. 
Schools say they are obliged to maintain confidentiality and withhold 
information about specific students. Some families who have been through a 
discipline case don't want to talk about it, sometimes citing their need 
for privacy or voicing fears that exposure could create prejudice if the 
case hasn't been resolved.

Craig Haupert, who graduated from Lowell High School this year and is now a 
student at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, declined to speak for this 
story. His mother, though, said she's heard enough to believe that 
solutions can be more flexible.

"I heard someone say, 'If God had a zero tolerance policy, no one would be 
here,'" she said. "Who on this earth has never made a mistake?"
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