SCHOOL TOUGH ON DRUGS

Over the years, there have been many misconceptions about Alternative
High School, its students, and its views on drugs.

There are many people who believe the students are just a bunch of
drug-using hippies who want to take down the government.

While the rumours that a great number of us are hippies who love
nothing more than catching up on the latest propaganda might be true,
there needs to be some clarification on the drug thing.

Alternative High is, as many who have gone here know, extremely
concerned with what the students put in their bodies. For example, we
have programs to aid students in quitting smoking, for which they can
gain credit.

One other thing that many do not know about our school is that we
have a drug contract, and students have to sign if they are going to
be part of the student body. The contract states if a student is
under the influence of drugs or alcohol, with drugs or alcohol on
their person at the school or at a school-sponsored event, or
indulges in drugs or alcohol 24 hours before going to school, the
student will be expelled from Alternative High School.

In comparison to other schools, this is a severe policy. For example,
when the private Calgary Christian School was contacted,
administrators stated they have no drug policy and treat each case
individually. In the public system, Central Memorial High School's
assistant principal Ken Chee said its policy on students caught under
the influence during class time or on school grounds is "students are
given home suspensions and if they become repeat offenders, they are
expelled. If students are caught trafficking, they are charged and
expelled from the school."

In the Catholic system, St. Francis' drug policy is pretty easy to
understand. If a student is caught trafficking, they are dismissed
from the school. For students caught using or under the influence,
they are subjected to one or more of these consequences: suspension
from school, disciplinary probation for one year, a mandated
on-campus drug/alcohol education program with their substance abuse counsellor.

So contrary to popular belief, Alternative High School is a school
that is harder than, if not just as hard as, most other schools when
it comes to its students and drugs.