st stephens drug bust

[Anonymous]

two freshmen were caught smoking weed during morning classes at school last week and were expelled.

glad to see a private school actually enforce a "zero tolerance" policy

[Anonymous]

st stephens and st agnes school, right ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:st stephens and st agnes school, right ?

Is this St. Agnes St. Stephens in Alexandria?

[Anonymous]

yes, it's SSSAS in alexandria va

[Anonymous]

Why is this good? Don't people, especially kids, deserve second chances? I think zero tolerance policies for drinking or smoking weed are ridiculous. Kids make mistakes. Kids need to be held accountable for mistakes but they also need to receive compassion and a second chance. This is as ridiculously overboard as expelling a 5 year old kid for making a gun with his hand while playing cops and robbers on the playground.

[Anonymous]

I think expelling kids might have worse repercussions than a second chance/counseling program. The Nick Stuban situation is an example of a child who needed love and guidance under difficult circumstances. His life might have been saved if that's what he had experienced.

I agree that all schools need to take serious measures, but I think each situation merits individual consideration. We don't know the details of this story, and perhaps there's more to it.

[Anonymous]

No private school has a zero tolerance policy as far as I know. They take these things seriously but they don't have one size fits all rules. In this case they felt this was the appropriate punishment.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry about second chances for these kids. Those expelled from private schools often land at other private schools the following year or after a year at a public school. And if they land and stay at public school, is that so bad? We're not talking about a criminal record here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No private school has a zero tolerance policy as far as I know. They take these things seriously but they don't have one size fits all rules. In this case they felt this was the appropriate punishment.

The school may have been thinking of its reputation rather than seriously address the whys. If they had tried counseling with the kids and parents, in addition to serious punishment, who knows? But the school doesn't want to appear soft and be vilified in the public opinion press. So many hearts broken.......

[Anonymous]

Is it possible that this was the second infraction or that the kids had other discipline problems?

[Anonymous]

I’ll bet the students aren’t part of the SSSA nationally ranked girl’s lacrosse program. Somehow those gals stay out of trouble. Perhaps they’re all squeaky clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:two freshmen were caught smoking weed during morning classes at school last week and were expelled.

glad to see a private school actually enforce a "zero tolerance" policy

What do you mean "during morning classes"? Like, in the classroom ? Was it that brazen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this good? Don't people, especially kids, deserve second chances? I think zero tolerance policies for drinking or smoking weed are ridiculous. Kids make mistakes. Kids need to be held accountable for mistakes but they also need to receive compassion and a second chance. This is as ridiculously overboard as expelling a 5 year old kid for making a gun with his hand while playing cops and robbers on the playground.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll bet the students aren’t part of the SSSA nationally ranked girl’s lacrosse program. Somehow those gals stay out of trouble. Perhaps they’re all squeaky clean.

Oh please. Stop with the crappy speculation already.

[Anonymous]

A few things to think about:

First, as others have pointed out, we don't know the full circumstances, including whether the students involved had prior disciplinary issues at the school. Second, most schools take more significant steps if the rule-breaking happens on school grounds and during the school day. Third, schools are often fairly explicit about consequences for drinking or drug use on school grounds -- I would surmise there is a student or school handbook that lists expulsion as a potential consequence.

This is still speculation, but if the kids were smoking marijuana during the day they may be starting down a road toward some serious issues with drugs and/or alcohol, and getting caught and suffering some major consequences (but outside of the legal system) could ultimately be a good thing.

Lastly, I'm not sure how someone can say that breaking a law (not just a major school rule) on school grounds, during the school day, can be equated with those silly "zero tolerance" cases one reads about where a kid is suspended for having Advil (or, as the prior poster gave as an example, for pretending to shoot a pretend gun).

Hopefully the students will learn a good lesson, get any help if they need it, and will one day look back on this as an unpleasant but ultimately not harmful wake-up call.