STUDY DRUG USE BEFORE VOTING

WEST HARTFORD -- West Hartford's school board should study the extent of
drug use among students before it votes on what may be one of the state's
toughest drug policies.

Hard facts will aid in determining whether the policy is necessary. If
adopted, the policy would require an automatic expulsion hearing for any
teenager caught possessing "illegal controlled substances" on school property.

Current rules require a hearing only for sale and distribution of drugs.
Principals impose suspensions of up to 10 days for possession. A student
risks expulsion for up to 180 days only if he or she has been caught four
times.

School board member Joseph DeLucco said he proposed the policy because of
his "general belief" that drug availability in schools is very high. He
said students who bring drugs to school probably share them with others and
therefore should be subject to the same penalties as those caught selling
or distributing. The penalties, he hopes, would discourage drug use.

Last year, the board held 17 hearings and expelled all of the students
involved. Twenty-six others were suspended for drug possession.

Within a high school population of about 2,800, the relatively small number
of disciplinary actions may not be enough to justify changing the rules.

Mandatory expulsion hearings also would increase the workload for the board
members who must preside over them. Board members who have reservations
about the zero-tolerance policy, moreover, risk being labeled unfairly as
soft on drugs.

School administrators are planning a workshop for board members prior to
the vote on illegal drug use and effects of expulsions.

The workshop is a great idea. All parties attending should present reliable
data to back up their positions. A radically harsh drug policy will likely
bring West Hartford a lot of attention statewide. The town should be able
to defend it with a rational argument.