SCHOOL BOARD REVERSES SUSPENSION

Principal Apologizes For Actions Taken After Police Dog Sniffed
Marijuana On Boy's Jacket

After more than a week of appeals, threats of lawsuits and vague
explanations, 15-year-old Chris Laurin has been "vindicated." The
school board that suspended him because a police dog smelled marijuana
on his jacket has apologized and wiped his record clean.

"The school board did make a mistake in suspending me before. They
have corrected that mistake," said Chris. "I feel it was a sincere
apology, and I've been justified. And I've paved the way for other
students to fight back if they're wrongly punished."

But the battle taught Chris that school officials treat teenagers as
if they don't have any rights, he said.

Chris, a Grade 10 student at St. Matthew High School, was suspended
after an impromptu drug search at his school March 26. A police dog
identified the scent of marijuana on his jacket, and Chris was
suspended for two days -- even though police didn't find any drugs and
the vice-principal admitted she couldn't smell it.

"At first, I didn't really know that what they had done was wrong,"
Chris said. "But I've learned they can't do that. Students have rights."

He and his father, Michel, protested the suspension and hired lawyer
Lawrence Greenspon. After Mr. Laurin filed an appeal last week, the
Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board agreed to remove the suspension
from Chris's record on Wednesday. And in a private meeting with Chris
and his father yesterday morning, Chris's principal, Andre Potvin,
apologized for the suspension.

Mr. Greenspon said the school board didn't explain why the principal
decided to suspend Chris, but the case has forced the school to alter
its policy.

"Their intent in the future would be to call in the parents before any
disciplinary action is taken. The school board has learned a lesson."

Maybe not. Superintendent Marcello Bottiglia said the school board has
not, and will not, change its suspension policy. The decision to
consult with parents was made by St. Matthew High School, not the board.

"We have not changed anything regarding board policy," said Mr.
Bottiglia, adding the current system "definitely works as it is now."

Mr. Greenspon called that "laughable.

"Given the attention given to Chris's case, I'd be surprised if any
other school board does this in the future," he said. "This is not a
legal precedent, but it goes into the public mind as a precedent. They
simply went too far here."

Chris's suspension clearly outlines how students' rights are regularly
ignored by schools, said Mr. Greenspon. Under school policy, Chris and
his fellow students can be searched at their principal's will. This
would not be permitted in another public place.

The school board suspended Chris simply because his jacket smelled
like marijuana, but even a police officer can't charge someone for
possession without evidence.

And because he's under 18, Chris wasn't allowed to appeal his
suspension himself; under school policy, the student's parents have to
do it. Fortunately for Chris, his parents fully supported him.

"This case skirted around the main issue of students' rights and
lockdowns in schools," said Mr. Greenspon. "The infringement of
students' rights is a serious issue, but people support it because of
a misguided notion that it increases safety. It doesn't. It decreases
students' faith in the system."

Chris's father said he's happy with how the situation ended, and hopes
Chris has learned to stand up for his rights.

"I'm hopeful it made Christopher stronger," he said. "It was a subject
that needed to be brought up. Hopefully this will never happen again."