SCHOOL DRUG NET WIDENS

Number Of Amherst Regional High Students Under Investigation Rises To 36

AMHERST - The number of students at Amherst Regional High School
under investigation in relation to a drug bust at the school last
week has increased to 36.

Amherst Police Deputy Chief Ian Naylor confirmed Wednesday that
interviews with those arrested last Friday and information gathered
from the surveillance led to an additional 14 students being investigated.

" There were some people who weren't in school on Friday and were
identified from the surveillance," Naylor said.

Members of the Cumberland Integrated Street Crime Unit have spent
most of this week conducting interviews with the students arrested
during the raid that took place at around noon Friday.

Naylor said the unit, made up of members of the Amherst and
Springhill police departments and the Cumberland RCMP, is close to
wrapping up interviews and should be in a position soon to determine
whether charges will be laid.

The unit, he said, is attempting to focus on the positive and part of
that is trying to avoid laying charges where possible. Instead,
officers are looking at alternate measures such as restorative justice.

" Youth make mistakes just like everyone else. The important thing is
to learn from them," Naylor said. "It's not always about punishment,
especially when you're dealing with young people."

Though some in the community have been asking whether police were too
heavy handed in their approach or could have singled out some of the
main users, Naylor said it's not up to police to pick and choose.

" We have to be consistent and we have to be fair," Naylor said.

Board spokeswoman Carolyn Pierce said school officials are continuing
to cooperate with police and have held discussions with the school's
advisory council and student leaders.

While shocked at what occurred, Pierce said people should not read
too much into the numbers or look at Amherst Regional as a bad school.

"Even one is too many and certainly we don't want our students coming
to school under the influence of drugs. It's not beneficial for them,
for the other students or the teachers, but when you look at the
number, the 22 out of 737 students at that school, it represents
about three per cent of the school population," said Pierce.

Considering a provincial study a couple of years ago suggested that
in 2007 as many as 30 per cent of students in Grades 7, 9, 10 and 12
had used marijuana, the number is well below that threshold.

The school and the board are continuing to monitor the situation and
are reviewing what took place and what can be done to prevent if from
happening again.

" We are always concerned when there are drugs in the school," Pierce
said, adding drug awareness and abuse prevention are part of the
curriculum and student activities such as Students Against
Destructive Decisions.

The school will continue to have an increased police presence during
transition times as well as in the morning and at lunchtime.