PARENTS ARRESTED AFTER CHILD HAS ALLEGED CRACK AT SCHOOL

A 5-year-old student was found with eight grams of a substance suspected to
be crack cocaine at a Northwest Washington charter school yesterday,
prompting an investigation in which the child's parents were arrested on
drug charges, police said.

D.C. police said staff members of the Community Academy, in the 1300 block
of Allison Street NW, called them to the school yesterday morning. When vice
investigators arrived, police said, they found the student with the
suspected crack.

During an investigation, police said, five grams of crack cocaine and 165
grams of marijuana were seized from the home of the child's parents. Barbara
Burke, 38, and Dennis Wilson, 45, of the 800 block of Jefferson Street NW,
were charged with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and
marijuana, police said.

The couple are scheduled to be arraigned in D.C. Superior Court. The
5-year-old and a 3-year-old sibling have been placed in the custody of Child
Protective Services, officials said.

Commander Melvin Scott of the 4th Police District said in a statement issued
by police last night that the school took "swift action." Scott could not be
immediately reached last night, and school officials were not available for
comment.

Community Academy was described in August by the D.C. Public Charter School
Resource Center as a standards-based school founded by the Urban Family
Institute, a community organization created to provide families with needed
support and resources.

Staff writer Martin Weil contributed to this report.