Cocaine: pupil back in class

Two months after an Alexander Road High pupil was caught snorting cocaine in the classroom he is back at school – after a suspended expulsion.

The youngster was caught along with two others, whose parents opted to voluntarily remove their children from the school.

While Alexander Road remains tightlipped about the exact details of the March incident, a letter penned by school principal Dr Peter Manser – and sent to parents – said the pupil, who is not being named, was to return to the school after a lengthy disciplinary hearing.

“The learner is expelled from Alexander Road High School with immediate effect, which expulsion is suspended for a period of three years from the date of sanction.

“I met with the learner and his father on Thursday morning [May 17]. The learner will thus return to school on Monday [May 21],” the letter from Manser read.

When contacted for comment, Manser referred The Herald to the letter, saying he was not permitted to talk to the media about the incident.

An internal investigation by the school governing body recommended that the pupil in question be expelled.

This recommendation was then sent to the provincial Department of Education’s superintendentgeneral, Themba Kojana.

On May 15, a letter from Kojana was received by the governing body, which said that because the pupil was a first-time offender without a previous disciplinary record the governing body should consider an alternative sentence.

This should include that the pupil receive a suspended expulsion for three years on the conditions that he:

• Not be found to have transgressed any of the terms contained in the school’s code of conduct;
• Not be found in the possession of any illegal substances during the suspension period;
• Be subject to random drug testing;
• Attend a recognised drug rehabilitation programme at his own cost and submit progress reports to this effect to the principal; and
• Undergo bi-weekly drug tests at his own cost.

A parent from the school, who did not want to be named, said it was concerning that the school allowed the pupil to continue there even after he had committed a criminal offence.

“Many staff and parents are concerned that a pupil can still come back to school after completing a criminal offence like cocaine, but because of his previous behavioural record, he gets to have his expulsion suspended,” the parent said.

SA National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence regional head Roger Weimann said although he could not specifically comment on how the school handled the situation, he did commend it for ensuring that the pupil involved would attend drug rehabilitation programmes.

“Education is so important and is the first port of call. We are seeing a huge shift from merely expelling pupils to actually educating them on the dangers of drug use,” Weimann said.

Placing more emphasis on helping pupils overcome their dependence instead of merely punishing them was a positive and proactive approach to dealing with the situation, he said.

“The sad thing is that the experimentation age is becoming younger [and] the younger the transgressor is the less likely [to be] aware of the dangers involved in the experimentation,” he said.

More programmes offered at schools and a substance abuse policy would also help curb the incidence of drug use and experimentation at schools, Weimann said.

Education department spokesman Malibongwe Mali was unable to respond to questions as his phone switched off mid-conversation.

His phone remained off later.