FIVE EXPELLED OVER DRUGS

FIVE students have been expelled from an exclusive Brisbane private
school after a senior student allegedly supplied marijuana to Year 10
students at a party.

A St Peter's Lutheran College Year 12 student has been charged by
police with drug offences while four Year 10 students who smoked the
illegal drug have been asked to leave the school.

St Peter's headmistress Sally Chandler yesterday confirmed the
expulsions from the co-educational school and said the student who
allegedly peddled the marijuana to the younger students "was being
dealt with by the police".

"Four students smoked the marijuana at a party held outside the
school," Mrs Chandler said.

The party was held at the home of a student's parents some weeks
ago.

St Peter's is a day and boarding college catering for Years 1 to 12
and is situated at Indooroopilly.

Mrs Chandler said the matter was an isolated incident.

"For us at St Peter's, this is an isolated incident. It happens very
infrequently," she said.

"We still have a pastoral responsibility to the families in terms of
counselling and trying to assist them to pick up their lives and help
them relocate their children into other schools.

"It is not an easy time for people in the school.

"There are many teachers and students here who are grieving over the
incident."

Indooroopilly Juvenile Aid Bureau chief Det Sgt Regan Carr yesterday
confirmed the matter was being investigated by police.

"At this stage it is under investigation and as such I have no comment
in relation to it," Sgt Carr said.

The expulsions at the private school come a day after the release of
figures showing almost 19,000 students from Queensland state schools
were suspended or expelled last year.

Substance abuse was one of the main grounds, along with bullying and
disobedience.