BRUNSWICK SCHOOLS EASE DRUG RULES

Brunswick County middle and high school students may now escape punishment
the first time they violate the district's zero-tolerance drug and alcohol
use policies.

Instead of suspension, they may be referred for treatment or counseling,
according to a policy revision approved recently by the Board of Education.

"We feel strongly that zero tolerance should continue . but kids do make
mistakes," said Katie McGee, assistant superintendent for Brunswick County
Schools. "It's important that we provide an alternative that will prevent
them from making that mistake again."

Violation of the policies by a student in grades six through 12 still calls
for suspension with transfer to an alternative school.

The revision allows administrators to make an exception for first-time
offenders as long as the infraction does not involve the distribution or
sale of an illegal substance. The alternative punishment must include
corrective education or counseling, and it must be designed by the
superintendent and agreed to by the parent, the student and the principal.

Brunswick County school board members said that a common-sense approach is
necessary in some instances.

"It's really important that when we have students who have violated some
rules that we are looking beyond being punitive and trying to help them in
the end," Vice Chairman Glenda Browning said.

In agreement, Chairman Bud Thorsen said, "There are circumstances where we
have to use reason."

New Hanover and Pender counties already have similar policies.

"We have not ever gone to zero tolerance for substance abuse," said Preston
Wells, Pender County Schools' director of student services. "We have always
had flexibility."

While principals in Pender County high schools must recommend violators for
long-term suspension, the superintendent may "prescribe an alternative to
long-term suspension," such as rehabilitation or counseling, Mr. Wells said.

Despite offering leniency for first-time drug and alcohol users, school
officials said they stand behind other zero-tolerance policies, especially
those regarding weapons on school campuses.

Anti-gun policies gained widespread adoption among school systems in the
middle to late 1990s, following the passage of the federal Gun-Free Schools
Act of 1994, which mandates year-long expulsions for students caught with
guns on school campuses.

Then, shootings in several schools across the country in the late 1990s
alarmed school officials nationwide, leading them to seek tougher
punishments for violent or potentially violent behavior.

"Zero tolerance is serving as a deterrent in schools," Mr. Wells said.
"Students realize the seriousness of it."

Al Lerch, assistant superintendent for student support services in New
Hanover County, agreed.

"Zero tolerance has raised the sensitivity level of many students," he
said. "Some parents are checking cars to make sure there isn't even a
pocketknife in there."