Marijuana Policy Project

Though a sudden spike in the numbers may imply a problem, it actually shows efforts are working.

"It validates our efforts," Morris Community High School Superintendent Dr. Pat Halloran said.

For the 2007-08 school year, the high school saw an increase in drug-related infractions. During that school year, 20 drug infractions were recorded, as opposed to five the year before.

In the 2004-05 school year, two drug infractions were reported, and seven were reported in the 2005-006 school year.

Though it is possible more students are bringing drugs to school, the spike in numbers may be, ironically, the result of the district being more diligent in attacking drugs at the school. Last year marked the revival of the school having a resource officer, which may have contributed to an increased amount of drug infractions found.

"Part of that is just a stepped-up increase in enforcement and it helped that we had the resource officer's help," Halloran said.

Another possible reason for the spike, Halloran said, is that "drug infractions" could also indicate a student was found to have paraphernalia, which could lead to disciplinary action even if no drugs were found.

"They may not have drugs on them, just a pipe," Halloran said.

Halloran said the district has tried to be proactive, rather than reactive, when dealing with drugs in the school. Having Officer Roland Henschen of the Morris Police Department, who acted as the school's resource officer last year, helped in that it provided a law enforcement presence at the school.

Having such a presence should help deter students from bringing drugs to school.

Though Henschen will not return to the post for the next school year, Halloran said he assumes the Morris Police Department will assign an officer to the spot sometime during the summer.

Even prior to finding out the number of infractions for the most recent school year, the district was looking to tapping into the services of Interquest Canine, a company that does searches for school districts, which Halloran said shows the school district's proactive stance on the issue.

Halloran said the district plans on having 10 to 15 visits from the company during the next school year. What makes the company unique, Halloran said, is the company's approach. Unlike most drug searches, which can be rather intrusive, Interquest takes a more interactive approach with its searches.

Most searches done by local law enforcement may only last 75 minutes, which makes them sudden and stressful for students. Interquest usually commits to a location for half of a school day, which allows the students to be more familiar with the dog involved.

This approach is coupled with an education program provided by the company. In the end, it should make students more receptive to the anti-drug message. while still making it clear the district is on the lookout for those who may want to violate school drug policies.

"We really think we've got good timing going with the Interquest Canine service next year," Halloran said. "We're trying to stay in front of that issue."

In addition to Interquest, the district will continue to use searches provided by local law enforcement agencies. The district also has established a student disciplinary advisory committee, which should help contribute to the district's efforts in keeping drugs out of the school.

"When you've got four years of data, obviously the spike in the numbers of drug-related offenses was significant, and hopefully we'll just see that as a one-year aberration in statistics, and with our efforts we'll be able to curb that number in the next few years," Halloran said.

Though the district tries to be proactive with drugs, there is always the deterrent of punishment. As shown in the district's student handbook, there are a variety of consequences that could result from a student committing a drug infraction.

The most major rule infraction would be if a student was found dealing or distributing drugs at the school.

"That level of expulsion can go anywhere from a term to up to two years," Halloran said.

If a student is found to bein possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia, it could lead to an out-of-school suspension, which may be up to 10 days. Any drug infraction could lead to law-enforcement involvement, which may lead to an arrest. A second infraction could lead to a recommendation of expulsion, Halloran said.

For a student's first offense, a parent meeting is set up. If the student agrees to take part in an approved drug program, the suspension may be reduced to 5 days. Such programs are offered by the county, Halloran said, and cover not only cannabis, but also prescription drugs, which more people are abusing these days.

"We try not to just be punitive," Halloran said. "We try and get the students the help they need.”"