Pubdate: Sun, 15 Dec 2002
Source: Reporter, The (Fond du Lac, WI)
Copyright: 2002 Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/index.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2271
Author: Sharon Roznik

BOARD HAS ISSUES WITH DRUG CASE AT THEISEN

Fond du Lac School Board members questioned the limits of the school 
district's no-tolerance drug policy and why they weren't informed of a drug 
incident that occurred last month at Theisen Middle School involving 13 
graduates of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program.

"I was somewhat surprised by the ultimate resolution," said board member 
Gary Sharpe, when the board met for its regular meeting Monday night.

An eighth-grade boy either sold or gave away his prescription drug, 
Adderall, to fellow students in November. The boy was not expelled, said 
Theisen Middle School Principal Aida Mityas. Thirteen students were suspended.

The drug is an amphetamine used for attention deficit hyperactive disorder 
(ADHD).

The boy told school officials he didn't know what he was thinking and he 
"just got carried away."

"The result was less strict than I might otherwise have thought it would 
be," Sharpe said, concerned about the district's strong zero-tolerance 
policy on drugs and violence, and what kind of message the decision would 
send to the community.

School Board President Elizabeth Hayes said the incident involved a 
prescription drug, not marijuana or other illegal street drug.

"The situation was not malicious," said Acting Superintendent Jim Gryzwa. 
"The student didn't intend any harm. A student with ADHD can exhibit poor 
judgment, impulsivity, and lack of understanding right from wrong."

Sharpe said: "I thought no-tolerance meant just that."

Students that have special needs often fall under terms of the law that may 
differ from other students because of their individual situation. Gryzwa 
said the expulsion would not have benefited the student or anyone else.

"It seems like the parents expressed the same concerns you did," Gryzwa 
said to the board.

The boy donated the $20 he made selling the pills to the Fond du Lac Police 
Department.

School Board member Terri Wilkens said she received phone calls from 
parents asking questions and she had no knowledge of the incident.

"I read it in the newspaper. When something like this happens in our 
district, board members should be informed. There was a lot more to the 
story than what was in the paper."

"We don't want to micromanage, but we need to be made aware of it," board 
member Susan Jones said.

Gryzwa said it was a lesson learned for both parents and kids.

A DARE officer will be brought in to Theisen Middle School to talk to students.
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MAP posted-by: Alex