MORE LENIENT DRUGS, ALCOHOL POLICY OK'D

W-JCC School Board Votes 4-1

JAMES CITY -- With the number of student cases involving drugs and alcohol
increasing in Williamsburg-James City County, the district will now take a
more lenient approach with first-time offenders.

The W-JCC School Board voted 4-1 in favor of the new policy, which gives
students caught possessing or using drugs or alcohol a second chance
instead of an automatic expulsion.

Under the new policy, first-time offenders caught possessing or using drugs
or alcohol will be suspended for 11 days. However, the students - and their
parents - will be required to participate in a substance abuse intervention
program, and the first-time offenders of possession and use would also be
excluded from extracurricular activities, not including graduation, for 45
days.

Failure to comply with the conditions would mean a 45-day suspension.

Students caught selling or supplying drugs or alcohol still face automatic
expulsion and a second offense of possession or use would also result in
expulsion, according to the policy.

Board members who voted in favor of the changes say the new policy takes a
more proactive approach to the problem - and forces parents and the
students to confront the issue together.

"We're being more humane but at the same time there is a clear mandate that
is placed on the child and parent," said School Board member Wesley Campbell.

Rick Richardson, director of student services, said the number of drugs and
alcohol cases are on the rise in W-JCC. In 2001, the district saw 16 cases
involving drugs and alcohol. That number grew to 45 in 2002 and 16 the
first semester of 2003, he said. Richardson added other school districts
have adopted similar policies and have seen dramatic decreases in the
number of offenses.

"We feel very strongly there is a need for assessment and intervention,"
Richardson said of the policy's mandate. "This is a community and family
concern - not just a school concern."

Board members John Alewynse and Ann Brown were absent Tuesday and did not
vote. Board member Mary Minor voted against the changes.

"I see it as enabling children instead of sending a clear message that some
behavior is unacceptable," Minor said. "I just think it adds another layer
to the process."

The old policy called for the principal's automatic recommendation of
expulsion for 365 days for using, possessing or selling. The parents could
appeal that recommendation to the School Board, which had the discretion to
adjust the penalties and many times allowed the students to serve their
expulsions at the district's alternative school, the Center for Educational
Opportunities.

In other business:

The School Board reviewed the latest enrollment projections, which they say
support the case for a third comprehensive high school. According to the
report, which was conducted by the consulting firm of DeJong, more than
3,200 high school students are expected by 2007.

The 2007 figure is about 200 more high school students than enrollment
projected by the district last fall. Previous projections were based on the
"cohort survival" method, which looks at live birth rates for the county
and enrollment history for the district. The DeJong report used both of
those factors but also looked at things such as projected county growth.

According to the recent projections, total school enrollment should grow
from 8,788 in 2003-04 to 9,885 in 2007-08. High-school enrollment is
expected to increase from 2,760 to 3,204 in 2007-08, or about 700 students
above the current capacity at the two high schools, officials said.

The School Board hopes to bring a school construction bond referendum to
voters in March.