Source: Denver Post 
Contact:  
Pubdate: November 19, 1997
Author: Cara DeGette, Special to The Denver Post

6YEAROLD BUSTED FOR CANDY

Nov. 19  COLORADO SPRINGS  A firstgrader who shared some of his organic
lemon drops with a school buddy has been busted by administrators for
distributing an unknown substance.

Seamus Morris, 6, was suspended for a halfday of classes following the
Oct. 29 incident at District 11's Taylor Elementary School.

John Bushey, D11 executive director of school management, said other
students reportedly "assumed" the St. Claire's brand organic lemon tarts
were drugs. Bushey said the boy's resulting suspension is consistent with
the district's drug policy.

"It was not something you would purchase in a grocery store, it was from a
healthfood store," Bushey said.

Seamus' mother, Shana Morris, accused school principal Rick Gallegos of
overreacting and is worried the indictment now will stick to her son's
permanent record.

The fire department and ambulance rescue were called to the school after a
teacher was alerted that Seamus shared the lemon tarts  from their
original box  with a fellow student on the playground, Shana Morris said.
Both boys' parents also were called, and, despite Morris' assurance the
lemon tarts are just candy, they were urged to take their children to the
hospital for tests, she said.

"It was a misunderstanding and a bit of ignorance on the principal's part,
which resulted in complete hysteria," Morris said.

The lemon tarts are tancolored and are made from molasses crystals and
other natural ingredients. Manufactured by Boulderbased EcoNatural
Solutions Inc., the candy is sold in about 2,000 health food and
massmarket stores nationwide, including Wild Oats Market and some King
Soopers stores, said Ed Thomas, the company's manager of special
operations. No other complaints about the product have been filed, he said.

"If the principal would have just smelled them, he would have gotten a nose
full of lemon scent," Thomas said.

Gallegos did not return calls seeking comment. But Bushey said school
administrators were not familiar with the product and were thus required to
treat it as an unknown and possibly controlled substance.

D11's drug and alcohol policy defines controlled substances as including,
but not limited to, "narcotic drugs, hallucinogenic or mindaltering drugs
or substances, amphetamines, barbiturates, stimulants, depressants,
marijuana, anabolic steroids, any other controlled substances as defined by
law, or any other prescription or nonprescription drug, medicine, vitamins
or other chemical substances ... "

Timothy Brady, adolescent and family team leader of El Paso County's
McMaster Center drug treatment clinic, said he has "no knowledge" that St.
Claire's organic lemon tarts are a banned substance.

While some middle and high school students occasionally are accused of
trying to pass off pills and herbs as mindaltering substances, Brady said
he's never heard of a firstgrader conspiring to pass off candy as drugs.

"Wow," Brady said when told of the accusations against the 6yearold. "I'm
stunned. I don't even know what to say."

Shana Morris said she was further infuriated when she tried to defend her
son and his lemon tarts. She said district administrators responded with
"scare tactics," comparing bringing candy to class with 16yearold
students bringing guns to school.

Her son initially was rattled by the incident.

Shortly afterward, Morris said she and Seamus were working on his math
homework, and she complimented him on how smart he is. She said her son
responded, "No, I'm not. I got suspended from school."

The boy is doing fine now, Morris said, but she is still angered by the
school officials' actions.

"I can't believe these people are educating our kids," she said.