FEWER STUDENTS KICKED OUT AFTER DRUG VIOLATIONS

More Directed To Alternative Schools For Classes, Counsel

Under Tennessee's zero-tolerance policy, any student caught using, selling
or carrying drugs at school can be kicked out for a year.

But many aren't.

Instead, a growing number of offenders are being sent to alternative
schools, where they can get back on track academically and get extra help
for other problems.

It's an option that many districts, including Metro, find more appealing
than putting a student out on the streets.

"I don't believe sanctions in and of themselves solve the problem," said
Joe Anderson, director of safety and security for Metro schools. "But we
still may need the sanction of expulsion as leverage to get that student
and their family into other options."

Statewide, 21% of zero-tolerance offenders - including the few who bring
guns to school or strike a teacher - are kicked out of school for any
length of time. The number of students expelled has slowly declined in
recent years, while the number of students sent to alternative schools or
other programs has increased.

"I'm really starting to see schools step up to offer alternatives," said
Gale Colvert, director of the Williamson County Alternative Learning
Center, which served more than 200 students last year.

"People think it should be punitive, but that's the wrong approach. What
makes a difference is when (offenders) feel accepted and they have a way of
being successful."

But such programs cost money, and with the budget woes facing many schools,
extra resources are hard to come by.

Mike Herrmann, director of school safety for the state Department of
Education, says students who aren't in school can't keep up academically or
benefit from many programs that teach students how to stay off drugs and
make good choices.

"These programs can help deal with some of the barriers to learning," said
Herrmann, who supports removing students who are a danger to others.

"Does it make sense to treat a student who brings drugs to school the same
way as someone who brings a gun to school?"

Lt. Coleman Beard, who oversees safety officers in Metro schools, wants to
stop the flow of drugs in schools and get help for student offenders.

"Arrest is a last resort for us. It's an option, it's a tool," Beard said.
"But we are after the minds and the hearts and the spirits of these kids.
We think the best way to do it is with education."

That doesn't mean that he thinks kids who break the law should get away
with it. Many students caught with drugs at school are referred to the
juvenile court system, where they may face additional punishment or
treatment options.

Students suspended for 10 days or more are entitled to discipline review
hearings, and they are occasionally allowed to move to another school or
return to their school at the end of the year.

Mary Carter, who oversees such hearings for Maury County, said students
caught with drugs were almost always removed from their original school for
a year.

She said sending a student to an alternative school could have a lasting
impact. Statewide, 138 of the 2,291 drug offenses reported last year were
committed by repeat offenders.

"Being caught with drugs is a major impact on their lives," Carter said.
"It's like a wake-up."