News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
According to Principal Tim Comfort, the student was turned in by other students who did as they were taught in the D.A.R.E. drug intervention program.
"It (the substance) was found because some students were aware of it and reported it," Comfort said.
According to Comfort, the parents of the student were contacted, as was the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department, which runs the D.A.R.E. program. The sheriff's department referred the school to the Sisters Police Department for any further law enforcement involvement, which, Comfort said, would probably include directing the student into the department's JET diversion program.
Comfort said that school district policy calls for a minimum suspension of three weeks in cases like this. He also noted that a hearing will take place before a hearings officer to determine length and terms of suspension. Superintendent Judy May told The Nugget that it is within the discretion of the hearings officer to deviate from the minimum suspension.
School district policy on drugs does not differentiate between elementary students and middle/high school students, Comfort said, but the policy has never been invoked in an elementary school situation.
"We haven't ever had a sixth grade student have this kind of incident," Comfort said, "so, although we have a school district policy, it's never been applied to someone this young."
Where the student got the illegal substance in the first place has not yet been determined, Comfort said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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