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Ashland teachers decry pot-expulsion reversal Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Ashland High School student leadership adviser and English teacher Leeanne Wallace holds a letter signed by 30 teachers Friday saying they want clarification of the district's zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy. Wary of precedent, they seek 'structure' By JOHN DARLING ASHLAND - Thirty Ashland High School teachers are protesting what they called the school board's lack of commitment to its drug policy, following the board's decision against expelling two students accused of smoking marijuana on a debate team trip to Oklahoma City last June. The teachers signed a letter to the board, and 15 of them held a press conference in the school commons Friday announcing they wanted clarification of the policy at a special work session with the board planned for Tuesday evening. Several said they were meanwhile suspending any field trips or extra-duty activities. "The board's decision put all teachers in an uncomfortable position," said English teacher Leeanne Wallace. "We no longer understand our role. We've been given a lot of responsibility and no authority. We're not here to punish the children for their mistakes, we're here because we care so much for their safety and guidance." Teacher Butch McBaine said, "We have a sacred trust to keep children safe. It's not a game. We need structure and we need to know the rules." The school district has a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol. It requires expulsion of students caught with illegal substances at the school or at school events but allows offending students to return if they adhere to the terms of a behavior contract. "We don't set the policy," said teacher Tim Cate. "That's the school board's job, and we feel they aren't upholding their own policy." The board voted 3-2 Tuesday to reverse the expulsion decision made by AHS (and affirmed by a hearings officer from Jackson Education Service District) after the students and their parents challenged the ruling. Some board members expressed concern over witnesses and evidence used in the school's decision. "The message I got (from the board decision)," said debate coach John Tredway, "is that we can look the other way, which we won't do, or we can call the police in, read them their Miranda rights and gather scientific evidence. Or we can clarify the policy and get consensus on what our responsibilities are." AHS Principal Julie Reynolds also disputed the board's decision. "It left us high and dry. I'm being asked to be responsible for enforcing the policy but am not being given any support to do it. So, it's made my job impossible," she said. Some in the community have the "mistaken perception it (the drug-alcohol policy) is punitive," said drama teacher Betsy Bishop. "It is kind, it is innocuous and you always had the chance to come back in school. Some people say it's bad. It's not. It's life-saving." The policy says students at school or at school functions who use alcohol or illicit drugs may continue attending school if they enter into a contract, which usually includes community service, random urinalysis testing, substance abuse counseling and a signed pledge not to use such substances. Any record of the disciplinary action is supposed to be deleted from their record at graduation. The code is not a zero-tolerance policy, said Dean of Students Pete Cislo, who stood with teachers at the press conference. In pursuing drug-alcohol reports, school staff use testimony from student witnesses, verified by interviews with other students, teachers and parents and examination of witnesses' possible motives. "It's the most supportive policy possible," Cislo said. "But now I've been hampered in my ability to do the job. I've been criticized for being too aggressive in my interrogations, but I tell parents - do you want your children to go through this now or be in jail when they're 19?" Teacher Bill Gabriel said, "The policy has been a godsend for kids whose parents have lost control of them. I count on it on field trips. It's made our lives and the school a better place. It would be horrific to sabotage it. The decision has increased our liability as teachers. I just want everyone to get on the same page about what the policy is." Reynolds said school attorneys and the hearings officer told her the school had done a thorough investigation and was on solid legal ground, but that now the board would have to provide more explicit guidelines as to what constitutes evidence. "The production they made of it - the parents of these children did a good job of getting friends and supporters, that only knew their side, to come to the board meeting," said Reynolds. "We're trained as school administrators. We're not trained to refute what lawyers say. I'm fearful the kids are going to be the losers in this, because the teachers pour their hearts into these extra-duty activities and they're not going to put themselves out there and take that responsibility without support." Bishop said the board hasn't yet heard from the "silent majority" of 80 to 90 percent of parents who support the drug-alcohol policy. She said teachers would welcome such support but are not organizing parents to speak out. School board vice-chair John Maurer, who voted to retract the expulsions, attended the teacher's news conference. He said evidence was lacking in this case, which was a "classic case of civil liberties versus the common good." He added, "How does a kid at the bottom of his class with no parental support survive this?" School board chair Terry Littleton, who voted to uphold the expulsions, was also present at the news conference. She said the board has to arrive at a clear understanding of allowable evidence (including urinalysis and lie detector tests), acceptable procedures and final consequences. "The teachers have done an excellent job of defining the issues and it impresses me," she said. "This case has forced all the important issues that we don't have 100 percent support for in this community." John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.