FOUR LINCOLN STUDENTS SUSPENDED FOR DRUGS

Pot Violations Now Outstrip Those for Alcohol

The suspension of four Lincoln High School students Tuesday for
breaking rules on controlled substances continues a pattern showing
more violations for marijuana than alcohol.

Of the 23 alcohol and drug arrests involving Sioux Falls public
schoolchildren this fall, 21 have related to possessing marijuana or
paraphernalia.

"There's been a shift. It was more alcohol. Now more kids use
marijuana," said Bill Smith, the school district's director of
instructional support services. "It's easier to get than it used to
be, and it's easier to conceal."

Drug dogs sniffed through the Lincoln parking lot Tuesday morning and
identified three cars as suspicious. That led to identifying four
students who were summoned from class to open the cars for a school
official. Students who park in the lot sign an agreement allowing for
such a search.

The students were turned over to police. At school they face a 15-day
minimum suspension with zeroes for missed classes. Or they may choose
a five-day suspension with an opportunity to make up missed classwork
if they and a parent go through an assessment and chemical dependency
counseling and a 30-hour prevention program. The program is free to
the student in cooperation with the city, state and school district.
Prairie View Prevention Services is the provider.

Rebecca Trobec, chemical dependency and family counselor for
Counseling Resources, said several factors lead to increased drug
use. Divorce is a predictor of drug problems for someone in the
family within a year, she said. Lack of supervision, isolation,
bigger houses and lack of family interaction all contribute.

"Kids like to get away with what they can. That's a huge part of the
issue," Trobec said. "People come home and they have their TV and
computer in their bedrooms. That happens with all members of the family."