Pubdate: Wed, 14 Sep 2005
Source: Daily Journal (IN)
Copyright: 2005 The Daily Journal, Johnson County, Indiana
Contact:  http://www.thejournalnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3461
Author: Rick Morwick
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

MORE CUB SUSPENSIONS POSSIBLE

By the end of the week, about 30 Franklin Community High School 
student-athletes will be suspended from sports for a year for drinking 
alcohol and smoking marijuana.

That's the bad news.

The good news is, most, if not all, are expected to have their penalties 
dramatically reduced by taking part in drug and alcohol assessment programs.

The condition is one of several students must agree to in order to avoid a 
365-day banishment for violating the school's athletic code of conduct.

Franklin principal Leighton Turner said several of the suspended students 
have already agreed to comply, and many more are expected to do the same.

As of Tuesday, no students or parents were contesting the suspensions, 
which were handed down last week after school officials learned of an 
underage drinking party that took place after a recent varsity football game.

Seventeen varsity football players and two cheerleaders have been suspended 
so far. And Turner, who last week inadvertently said 18 football players 
were suspended, expects the number to approach 30 by the end of the week, 
when the final suspensions will be handed down. The figure includes 
athletes in sports other than football.

Tuesday was the deadline for students or parents to request a hearings to 
appeal a suspension.

"The majority of them are going to follow the drug assessment route and try 
to reinstate themselves in the athletic program, and we welcome them back," 
Turner said. "I think they're all going to.

"I'm assuming at this point that no litigation, in terms of following the 
next step in the athletic code, is pending at this point."

But the school's investigation isn't finished.

Officials are still trying to determine how many athletes attended the 
party, which took place at the home of an unidentified Franklin 
student-athlete after a Sept. 2 football game at Shelbyville.

Although police weren't called to the party, school administrators learned 
of it a few days later through the student grapevine. Following their own 
investigation and confident the information was valid, officials handed 
down the suspensions Sept. 9.

Initially, only a few athletes admitted their involvement. But as of 
Tuesday, several more student-athletes admitted drinking at the party, and 
a number that had at first denied doing so acknowledged they had.

Turner regards the turn of events as a positive step forward.

"Some who originally denied drinking have now come forward and admitted 
their guilt," he said. "And at this particular point, the majority of 
people who were suspended are opting for the drug assessment."

Turner acknowledged that some parents of suspended athletes were initially 
angered by the severity of the punishment. But by Monday, protests were 
nearly nonexistent.

"It has pretty well died down with people calling in and telling me what a 
terrible decision it was and how unfair it was," Turner said. "Now they're 
scrambling to find out where they need to go to get the drug assessments."

By agreeing to drug and alcohol assessments, athletes can, in conjunction 
with other conditions, have their suspensions reduced form 365 days to 25 
percent of their regular season.

Football players, for example, would have to sit out two of the remaining 
regular-season games, retroactive to Sept. 9.

In addition to drug and alcohol assessments, suspended athletes must agree 
to abide by the findings and comply with random drug testing. Students or 
their families are responsible for all testing and assessment expenses.

The goal, Turner said, isn't to punish students harshly. Rather, it's to 
identify problems, correct them before they manifest and help kids learn 
from mistakes that could have tragic consequences.

"This is an embarrassing moment for parents," Turner said. "None of us 
wants to admit that our kids made a mistake. There are some good kids 
involved here, and they're still good kids. I continue to say to parents, 
'Beware of overnights.'

"While we all want to believe in our kids and want to believe that we have 
raised our kids so that they will make good decisions, this is another 
example that we have good kids making bad decisions. And it's because they 
need supervision."

More suspensions are expected to be handed down in the next few days. Some 
involve athletes whose sports are not in season. Their suspensions will 
begin when those seasons begin.

"That's kind of where we are, but we're not done," Turner said. "We have 
some athletes who are not in season at this particular point, and they're 
going to be dealt with.

"There are going to be 20-plus (total suspensions), but probably not to 
exceed 30."

An unknown number of non-student athletes attended the party.

Turner said the school has no authority over them when they leave school 
grounds. But athletes must comply with the athletic department's code of 
conduct in and out of school.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman