BOY, 11, TAKE MARIJUANA TO SCHOOL

The Incident Shocks Educators And Parents At Gorrie Elementary, A
Popular School In South Tampa.

TAMPA - Minutes before the first bell rang at Gorrie Elementary School
on Wednesday morning, an 11-year-old boy played an unusual game of
show- and-tell with a classmate.

As they stood in the hallway, the fifth-grader pulled from his pocket
a bag with 16 grams - just over half an ounce - of marijuana,
officials later said.

"He was like, "Hey, look what I have,' " said Tampa police spokesman
Joe Durkin.

The classmate quickly told assistant principal Kristin
Tonelli.

Thirty minutes later, the boy was arrested, charged with misdemeanor
possession and whisked away to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

His name was not released by authorities.

Durkin said the boy later told investigators he brought the marijuana
from home.

Whose it was is still to be determined, Durkin said.

The arrest shocked school officials and parents alike at Gorrie, a
popular South Tampa school known for its high student achievement and
parental involvement.

In 1999, the Department of Education named Gorrie a National Blue
Ribbon School.

Wednesday's arrest wasn't unprecedented.

Last year, two elementary school students were caught with drugs; so
were 48 middle schoolers and 74 high school students, according to
district officials.

In 1993, in a case that made national headlines, six fourth-graders
were charged with bringing cocaine to Dale Mabry Elementary School.

"It's unusual for an elementary-age child to be in possession," said
school district spokesman Mark Hart. "It does happen,
unfortunately."

Gorrie parents said they see the arrest as a singular incident. "I'm
not panicked," said parent Kathy Bohan. "I'm kind of surprised more
than anything."

Pamela Eliopulos, whose daughter is in fifth grade at Gorrie,
applauded both the student who turned in her classmate and
administrators for acting quickly.

She views the arrest as a wake-up call about drug use in
Tampa.

"It's disconcerting, certainly," she said. "Is our elementary a hot
bed of drug activity? I seriously doubt it."

It's not the first time a student has reported a crime involving
another student in a Hillsborough school.

In November, a Sligh Middle School student told an administrator about
a boy who brought a .25-caliber handgun to school.

Two boys were later arrested.

Gorrie principal Susan Foster said Wednesday that she too is grateful
the boy's classmate came forward instead of keeping the marijuana a
secret.

"We spend a lot of time talking to students about making the right
choices," Foster said. "It's very rewarding to know we're being
listened to."

Foster sent letters home to parents telling them there is no evidence
the student, who was suspended for 10 days, gave the marijuana to any
of his classmates.

What's next?

The boy will serve a 10-day suspension.

Officials will recommend that the boy be transferred out of Gorrie
Elementary School and into an alternative education program, a school
district spokesman said.

The case will be reported to the Department of Children and
Families.