SCHOOL SUSPENDS TEENS

FOUR students from Castle Hill High, in Sydney's north-west, have been
suspended indefinitely after being caught smoking marijuana on the
school grounds.

The 15- and 16-year-old students, three boys and one girl, were sent
home last week by principal David Jaffe for breaking the school's
tough anti-drug rules.

They are the latest group of NSW students to be suspended or expelled
for possessing, using or dealing marijuana.

Six drug cases, resulting in the suspension of 40 students at both
private and public schools have been reported this year, but the
actual figure is believed to be much higher.

Mr Jaffe said Castle Hill High was not the only school facing problems
with marijuana. He estimated there had been as many as 50 suspensions
for drugs in the Hornsby district this year.

"Marijuana is a crime, but some teenagers don't seem to worry too much
about that," Mr Jaffe said.

"The amount of drugs that schools detect would be low compared to the
number of students actually using them.

"When we are conducting our enrolments for next year, the biggest
question parents ask is whether the school is safe from drugs, but no
school can say they are clear of the problem."

The Castle Hills incident follows similar problems at some of Sydney's
exclusive schools.

Five students of Barker College were expelled or suspended in May for
marijuana possession, and in March, nine girls from Pymble Ladies'
College were expelled for smoking drugs at a party.

The fate of the four suspended Castle Hill students will be decided
after discussions with their parents. Five other students were
suspended earlier this year because of a similar situation.

In 1997, the Education Department ordered Mr Jaffe to reinstate two
girls who were suspended from the school for allegedly dealing in
drugs. Castle Hill High successfully lobbied Education Minister John
Aquilina to let schools make their own decisions about such cases.

Shadow education minister Patricia Forsythe said the increased number
of students suspended for drug-related offences could reflect either
an increase in activity or a crackdown by schools who have adopted a
"zero-tolerance" attitude.

The Drug Summit earlier this year recommended better funding for
education programs, which will now begin in primary schools in an
attempt to curb the problem.