ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY CAN HIT STUDENTS HARD

Bay County schools' zero-tolerance policy on drugs means what it says.

But some parents wonder if it's fair when students with otherwise
outstanding records end up, because they're caught with drugs, being
transferred to schools that parents feel permanently impede their studies.

One question is whether alternative schools have enough space to
accommodate the rising number of students - with both drug and non-drug
problems - whom school officials recommended be sent to them.

Both the school board and the Bay County Sheriff's Office see their share
of good students who make bad choices.

"We deal with a lot of good kids who make poor decisions," said Sheriff's
Lt. Chuck Polk. He said authorities have to treat those offenders like
anyone else because they knew the potential consequences of their actions.

A 14-year-old Arnold High School student, for example, went before the Bay
District School Board on Jan. 16 on an accusation that she brought less
than 20 grams of marijuana and shared it with another student.

The girl, who will not be identified because she is a minor, is a good
student with a clean record, according to her mother.

"She hated staying out of school," the mother said. "The only time she
stayed out of school (before) was when she was sick. She's a very good
student, she turns in her work on time, she's never had any problems."

The student was expelled and recommended for New Horizon's Learning Center
or the Panama City Marine Institute for the remainder of the school year
and all of next year.

Because she has had good grades, she can petition to re-enroll in Arnold in
six months.

The Zero-Tolerance Policy

Since the zero-tolerance policy's inception in August 1999, the number of
expulsions has jumped.

The policy says that a student who possesses, sells, uses, or is under the
influence of a controlled substance will be suspended for 10 days, then
expelled from the school system.

Principals have the authority to suspend and not expel first-time offenders
who possess or are under the influence of a drug. That authority applies
only if a student has a small amount of a drug and had not intended to sell
the substance.

During the 1998-99 school year, 27 students were expelled for all reasons,
according to district records.

The zero-tolerance policy sent the numbers up.

Fifty-one students were expelled during the 1999-2000 school year. Last
year, it was 77.

Last semester, 29 students were expelled from county schools for charges
ranging from bomb threats to possession of drugs.

On Jan. 16, the start of a regularly scheduled board meeting was delayed
for half an hour because of expulsion hearings.

After the board turned to other business, the expulsion hearings resumed.
They continued for hours after the regular meeting had ended.

Fourteen students were expelled that day.

The increase in expulsions can be attributed not only to the zero-tolerance
policy, but also an increase in prescription drug abuse and the vigilance
of other students, who are tired of problems like bomb threats, said Bill
Husfelt, principal of Mosley High School.

The policy, though harsh, makes sense to some school administrators. For
one thing, it's consistent from child to child.

Except for first-time offenders, there is no discretion that would lead to
one child being expelled while another who committed the same drug
violation would be cut some slack.

"This is the most stringent punishment a school board can enforce on a
child," said Bay High School principal Fred Goodwin. "No matter what I know
about you or how I feel about you, it won't make a difference."

The zero-tolerance policy is an effective deterrent, Goodwin said, because
the consequences of breaking it are clear. Though the consequences may be
hard for a student who violates the policy, they benefit the majority,
Goodwin said.

Though the Arnold student who was expelled recently should be held
accountable for her actions, there should be more alternatives available
than sending her to an institution primarily reserved for special education
students and students who have been kicked out of mainstream public
schools, her mother argued. Students in danger of dropping out sometimes
choose to go to the school so they can get more individual help from teachers.

"The options that the county gives you to educate your child - they're not
acceptable," the mother of the Arnold student said. "I understand that she
messed up, but give me an option that makes sense."

The Ramifications

The sheriff's office sometimes sends first-time offenders to Teen Court, a
mechanism aimed at keeping such kids out of the legal system.

When a student goes before the school board for violating the
zero-tolerance policy, board members usually opt for expulsion and transfer
to an alternative school because drugs simply have no place on school
campuses, Rohan said.

"If we're talking about a school system, we're talking about a sacrosanct
place in our world," she said.

At an expulsion hearing, the board listens to people speaking for both the
school and the accused, all of whom are under oath.

Students accused of crimes can bring whomever they choose to represent them.

After reviewing what was said at the hearing, the board votes on whether to
expel the student. In addition to the testimony they heard, members weigh
grades, attendance records, demographic factors and other information in
making their decision, Rohan said.

What Happens Next

Once a student is expelled, she can enroll in one of the county's two
alternative schools or find another way to complete her education.

The district is not legally bound to ensure that students enroll in an
alternative school, said Nancy Boyd, executive director of Exceptional
Student Education.

"The school board is being very generous by offering education at New
Horizons or PCMI," she said. "They don't legally have to educate them."

If the facilities are full or if a family does not want to enroll an
expelled student in PCMI or New Horizons, it is up to the parents to find
other means of educating their children.

Students can be home-schooled or they can go to private or out-of-county
schools.

Sometimes, however, New Horizons or the Panama City Marine Institute is the
best solution, Polk said.

"They're not as bad as people make them out to be," he said. "The child
still gets to attend school and will still get to graduate with his/her
class. It's a good second chance for kids who become involved in narcotics
or alcohol."

New Horizons And PCMI

New Horizons, which is on Minnesota Avenue behind Haney Technical Center
and next to Mosley High School, opened in 1997.

The six-acre school has 135 students, ages 12-18, who are divided into two
groups: Exceptional Education students, or those with special needs, and
students whom mainstream schools recommended be sent to New Horizons.

Some of the non-exceptional-education students were expelled from other
schools. Others chose to enroll in New Horizons to help them stay on track.

The enrollment at New Horizons exceeds the spaces available, according to a
memo from the district's ESE and Student Services.

The department requested an extra teaching unit for the school at a recent
school board meeting because "New Horizons cannot accommodate the number of
students that are being expelled."

The school offers curriculum that is comparable to other district schools,
said Principal David Creel. Classes are divided by grade level. They are
usually smaller than classes at other schools, he said.

Opportunities are available for both students who are academically ahead or
behind their peers, Creel said.

A student who was studying geometry at a former school, for instance, could
continue the course by using computer programs at New Horizons.

Because of smaller class sizes, a motivated student who was behind at a
former school could use programs at New Horizons, such as direct
instruction and counseling, to catch up to his grade level.

If a student had been enrolled in accelerated courses at another school -
such as the International Baccalaureate program at Rutherford High School -
she couldn't continue her studies at the same level at New Horizons,
however, Creel said.

That usually does not usually happen, he said.

"We try to provide exactly what (the students) came from," he said. "We
have few kids who were in (the accelerated) area."

PCMI, which opened 27 years ago for marine studies, serves 65 students from
both district schools and the Department of Juvenile Justice.

It contracts with the district but is not actually a district school.

The school board recently reached an agreement with PCMI to open 15 extra
slots for district students, increasing the district's number to 40. The
district and the school also agreed to lower the age limit for students
from 15 1/2 to 14.

As at New Horizons, classes are divided by age range, said director Ron
Boyce. The facility serves a wide range of backgrounds, he said.

"We have everything here from kids who live in Bay Point to kids who live
in the projects," Boyce said. "We have the entire socioeconomic and
intelligence ranges."

Students at PCMI who follow the rules can participate in a variety of
activities, from sailing to the color guard, he said.

Though spending a year to two years away from their former schools can be
hard for some students, they still have the opportunity to succeed, Boyce said.

"There is a really good chance that you can get your General Education
Degree (at PCMI), go to Gulf Coast Community College and graduate at the
same time your peers graduate from high school," he said.