Fallout from drug expulsions remains a problem

By DAMIAN MANN

Debate about a drug and alcohol policy and expulsion of two students suspected of marijuana use continues to plague the Ashland School District.

Three hundred local residents signed a petition recently opposing the school board's decision to overturn the expulsions.

Teachers contend their authority has been undermined by the board's actions and want clearer direction on how to handle student misconduct off campus.

And several leadership students still haven't signed an agreement committing to the policy, saying it contains language that's too vague.

The alcohol and drug policy came under fire after an incident last June resulted in the expulsion of two debate team members at Ashland High School. They were suspected of smoking marijuana with four others during a debate tournament in Oklahoma City after a Eugene coach smelled marijuana coming from their hotel room.

After an investigation, school administrators decided the students should be expelled, even though one of them maintained his innocence and the other passed a urinalysis and polygraph test.

Some community members rallied behind the youths, and the school board overturned the expulsions.

In response, at least 30 teachers at Ashland High School last month threatened to suspend all extracurricular activities until clearer guidelines were written concerning student misconduct off campus.

Teachers said they no longer knew what to do if they found students engaged in improper activities.

School officials say most teachers have resumed taking students on field trips, but at least two still refuse until the guidelines are released, possibly early next month.

High school drama teacher Betsy Bishop said that in light of the board's decision, she would handle discipline matters differently.

If she were on a field trip and walked by a room where students were smoking marijuana, she would go directly to the police department to avoid the situation that developed in Oklahoma City.

"If this is the way it's going, what would you have us do - get a videotape of a joint in their mouth?

"The civil libertarians in the community assume the school is taking a punitive stance in not following due process," she said. "We are not a court of law. We are not the Supreme Court."

Hiring an attorney is an expensive proposition for a school district, she added. The expulsion case cost Ashland $8,000.

Critical of parents who persuaded their children to avoid punishment, Bishop said, "What we're missing here is a little bit of integrity."

She believes that if somebody screws up, it is much more important to own up to it, take the punishment and ultimately become a better person.

"If we make a mistake, sometimes we learn a lot by swallowing our pride," she said.

Many Ashland residents supported the school board's decision to overturn the expulsions.

Sharon Javna, an Ashland attorney who is founding a science center, said the recent expulsion hearings were particularly damaging for the community.

"I think it was very divisive and unnecessarily so," she said.

A mother of two children in Ashland schools, Javna said this will be a complicated issue to resolve. But she is sure the community wants two things for its children: "We care about the whole kid, and we don't want drugs and alcohol in school."

In the case of Oklahoma City, Javna doesn't believe there was enough evidence to support the expulsion of the two boys.

"There were four juniors in that hotel room when pot was being smoked," she said. But to single out two of them, based on the statements of two others, was a mistake, she believes.

"If all four kids had gotten the same punishment, they would have taken it," she said.

As to the drug and alcohol policy, Javna said, "There is a big difference between being at high school and experimentation at home."

With the expulsion matter behind it, the school board will continue to delve into the controversial drug and alcohol policy at a later date.

Initially, the policy would have held leadership students accountable for behavior both on and off campus, but the board, at the urging of student leaders, removed the off-campus language from the policy.

Students, however, still want to refine the policy.

Senior class president Dan Golden, 18, has decided not to sign the leadership contract, finding the language too vague.

He particularly objects to punishment for a student who has been construed as disrespectful to a teacher or who brings discredit on Ashland High School.

"Disagreement could be taken as disrespectful," he said.

A teacher could use the language in the policy as a way to get back at a student, Golden said.

Although there is the potential he could lose his title if he doesn't sign, Golden said he is not worried. "They can't do anything after the fact and after I've already been gotten into this office," he said.

Co-student body president Brady Brim-DeForest hopes the administration comes up with a clear policy that provides enough guidelines to help teachers determine the best course of action.

Co-student body president Brad Rahmlow believes a teacher who didn't like a particular student could use the contract as a means of retaliation.

Nevertheless, he said, "I would like to see everyone sign it, but continue to work on it."

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com

Superintendent: 'Jury's still out'

Drug debate leaves Di Chiro wondering if her belief system fits in with the culture in Ashland

By DAMIAN MANN

Backlash from the school administration's firm stance on drugs and alcohol has left the relatively new superintendent questioning how she fits into the Ashland culture.

"I guess the jury's still out on that," said Juli Di Chiro.

After she came under fire for the expulsion of two leadership students suspected of smoking marijuana, Di Chiro wonders whether her belief system resonates with most parents.

Compared to her experience in other school systems, she said, "I feel less of a consensus here."

Di Chiro, who joined the district last year from the Santa Monica, Calif., school system, acknowledges she brings something of a big-city demeanor to a small-town atmosphere.

But she also says she can't change who she is, particularly her strong belief that students should not use drugs and alcohol.

Di Chiro said she has received as much support as opposition from parents over her role in the expulsion debate.

Some parents have stood steadfastly behind her decision, believing the district should be firm in preventing students from using drugs and alcohol.

Others have called her inflexible.

While many letters and calls from angry community residents denounced the students' expulsion by the administration, a petition was signed by 300 local residents disapproving of the school board's decision to overturn the expulsions.

Di Chiro remains confident her feelings ultimately represent Ashland as a whole, however.

"I have to feel that (the backlash) doesn't represent the majority of the people, and the board seems to support the majority of the work I'm doing," she said.

Having witnessed the detrimental effects of drug abuse on friends, Di Chiro feels strongly that drugs and alcohol should be kept away from students, and that school policy should reflect that.

"You can say that's being power hungry," she said. "But I don't care how people characterize it. I know from my own heart that it comes out of care and concern for kids and their well being."

From the time a child leaves home until the time it returns after school, that child is the responsibility of the district, Di Chiro said.

Most of the time, the district has no problems disciplining a student who has behaved inappropriately.

"Nine times out of 10, a kid just admits what he did," she said.

Whether she's a good fit for the community is something only time will tell. "That's something for the community to decide if my beliefs and values don't resonate with them," she said.

Di Chiro hopes the debate over the drug and alcohol issue dies down as the district faces the weightier issue of balancing its budget amid a potential $1 million shortfall.

As an administrator, she finds the budget situation familiar.

But she does worry that deep cuts might prevent her from being an effective leader.

Di Chiro had hoped to fill a curriculum director position because she now assumes those duties in addition to her own.

Given financial and political realities, she said, it will be difficult to fill this position.

"The life and blood of the district is curriculum," she said. "Over time, (not having a curriculum director) will erode the quality of our programs."

Also, with increased responsibilities, Di Chiro finds it more difficult to visit the schools she serves.

"I forced myself to go to every school this month," she said. "It should be every week."

Despite a year filled with controversy and uncertainty, Di Chiro said Ashland's situation is not unique as districts throughout the country struggle with some of the same issues.

"This is not a crisis," she said.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com

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