STUDENTS CHARGED IN MARIJUANA PROBE

Several Hobbs Middle School students' education might be up in smoke after
being caught in possession of marijuana.

The Press Gazette has confirmed that three students at Hobbs Middle School
were charged with a second degree felony on charges of possession and
intent to distribute marijuana on school property on December 9. Due to
the fact that they are juveniles, their names are not being released to the
public.

According to Hobbs Middle School principal Stephen Shell, 12 students were
found to be in possession of cigarettes or marijuana after several students
came forward to administrators about the illegal issue.

The two week long investigation started after tips from numerous students
led administrators to 9 separate children who were either tipped off for
being in possession, or were found to be in possession.

A second incident occurred almost a week and half later, putting three more
students in the hot seat for possession. Stephen Shell, the principal at
Hobbs Middle said cases like these are rare in middle school settings, and
this is the second time a case like this has occurred in his 3-year term at
Hobbs.

According to a Santa Rosa Sheriff's report, .4 grams of marijuana and
another bag containing marijuana joints was seized during the Dec. 9
investigation. Twenty cigarettes were also seized from the sheriff's office
as evidence.

As of press time, a representative from the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office was
not available for comment on the case.

"This is my third year here, and we had one situation prior to that my
first year as principal," Shell said.

Shell said the incident surprised him, but was glad students were
comfortable enough to come to administrators about the students.

"It's surprising because you hope that no one is doing it, and if they are,
you hope it's not a middle school student doing it," Shell said. "I'm glad
students were comfortable enough with the administrators here and were able
to open up to us (about the students)."

According to the sheriff's report on Dec. 9, a student admitted to a
teacher that he/she had paid another student $10 to purchase some
marijuana. After the student admitted to the purchase, he/she supplied the
teacher with the Ziploc baggie, which also contained a pack of cigarettes,
which the student admitted getting from their house.

Shell, who has worked in middle school education for almost 14 years said
correct action was taken towards the incident concerning both the
cigarettes and the marijuana. A resource officer from Milton High School
was sent out to retrieve the string of students during both occurrences.

"A resource officer from Milton High School, who also serves our school was
called out and came into the school and assisted with finding the
students," Shell said.

The students in possession of cigarettes were not booked by the sheriff's
office, but instead were disciplined by the school according to the
sheriff's report.

All of the students booked with possession of marijuana were automatically
handed a 10-day suspension from the school. It will now be up to the
school board to decide what happens after their suspension.

"We have zero tolerance in the school system for this type of incident,"
Shell said. "After a 10-day suspension, the school board will have a
hearing to decide where to put the student from there."

Right now, Shell said he is unaware of what will happen, but in most cases,
the students are sent to an alternative placement school for one calendar
year. If the child's behavior improves while at the facility, they may be
allowed to return to their original school before the end of their serving
time.

"It's up to the school board what will happen to them after the 10 days,"
Shell said.

Despite the incident, Shell said students are prone to being exposed to
illegal substances in any school system, and was glad that several came
forward about the incident.

"That's tough to do when you are a student, and it's tough for them to take
the positives out of that," Shell said. "No matter where you are, most kids
are being exposed to those things."

Shell said the best thing a student can do when exposed to bad influences
is walk away from the situation. Parents, Shell said, should also play a
role in educating their children about what's right and wrong.

"Parents should be involved in their child's life. Parents need to be
upfront with their children, and educate them on what should and shouldn't
occur," Shell said. "The students probably feel they want to be part of a
group, and don't think of the consequences before they occur."