PRINCIPAL TO RETIRE AMID DRUG INCIDENT

A Williamson County middle school principal announced his retirement
yesterday, nearly two weeks after Nashville airport officials found
marijuana in a checked bag with his wife's name on it.

Grassland Middle School Principal Doug Crosier will retire next week,
after 30 years with the county school district, having served as a
high school and middle school principal. He was put on administrative
leave more than a week ago when district officials launched an
internal investigation into the airport incident.

''Although I strongly deny any guilt in the incident which occurred at
the airport, irreparable damage has been done to my reputation as a
leader in the school system,'' Crosier wrote in a letter to Interim
Director of Schools David Heath. ''For my sake and that of my family,
I choose to bring this matter to closure.''

The Tennessean wasn't able to reach Crosier after three phone calls to
his home yesterday.

On June 11, Crosier and his wife, Vicki, were preparing to fly out of
Nashville International Airport when security reported finding a
cigarette box holding two marijuana cigarettes inside a red bag that
had been checked at curbside. Airport officials paged Vicki Crosier,
the name on the bag, and directed her to return to the area, according
to a police report.

The Crosiers told airport police they had no knowledge of the
marijuana, the report said.

Earlier this week, administrators and school board members were
bombarded with e-mails from parents and residents voicing concern
about the situation. Many showed overwhelming support for Crosier,
while some expressed reservations about his returning to school next
year. Still others said there were many questions to be answered.

''It's just a bad situation,'' said parent Anita Bice, who has two
children at Grassland Middle. ''My first thought was I felt so sorry
for him. Even if it came out he was innocent, his reputation was still
soiled. I think the world of him.''

Another parent, Sha Smith, felt differently. She said she would have
liked for Crosier to have taken a drug test to clear up the whole
controversy.

''To command the respect that this man needs to have at school, it
just doesn't work,'' she said. ''To deny and then retire, to me, that
just screams guilt.''

Crosier started his career in Williamson County at Fairview High
School in 1974, and has since served as an assistant principal at
Brentwood High, a longtime principal at Franklin High, and principal
at Grassland Middle.

According to his letter, Crosier's retirement is effective June 30. He
is immediately eligible for full retirement benefits. His replacement
is expected to be tapped by incoming schools chief Becky Schwab, who
starts next week.