Bossier School Board upholds Advil expulsion
By: Administrative Account | Source: The Times - Shreveport
December 6, 2003 10:42AM EST

Melody Brumble / The Times
Posted on December 5, 2003

A student expelled from Parkway High for a year for having Advil, an over-the-counter pain reliever, will not be allowed to return to the school.

Kelly Herpin and daughter Amanda Stiles, a sophomore, appealed the one-year expulsion to a Bossier Parish School Board committee Thursday night, spending about 10 minutes with the board's administrative committee behind closed doors.

The committee and the full board voted unanimously to uphold an administrative decision that Stiles be expelled to the alternative school.

School boards hold such hearings in a closed session, but parents have the right under state law to request that such sessions be open. Herpin didn't make that request but did speak to reporters after the hearing. She left before the board voted on her request but learned of its decision by phone.

"I'm not really sure at this point what we'll do," Herpin said. "I'm going to have to talk to my husband, and we're going to have to make some plans. I'm not sure we could afford a private school. We've been looking at moving to another area."

She would have to sue the School Board to continue fighting the expulsion.

Superintendent Ken Kruithof said after the board meeting that the school system is following a state law that requires a one-year expulsion and being consistent in the system's "zero-tolerance" policy.

But another school official said earlier Thursday that having medication on campus doesn't automatically lead to a one-year expulsion. "After an investigation and a hearing then, if necessary, punishment is administered. It could be no punishment," said Betty McCauley, Bossier schools student services director.

Disciplinary action can range from in-school suspension to placement at the system's alternative school or expulsion from the system. From Aug. 11 through Wednesday, 18 students were sent to the system's alternative school because of possessing "pills," according to a report system officials compiled. However, Kruithof said he didn't know if the category covered nonprescription, prescription and illegal drugs or only nonprescription drugs.

State guidelines define medication as "all prescription and nonprescription drugs," McCauley said Thursday afternoon. McCauley hears discipline appeals from parents dissatisfied with discipline imposed by school principals.

McCauley declined comment after the hearing, referring questions to Kruithof. So did District 11 board member Gary Dowden, who heads the administrative committee.

Kruithof didn't respond directly to questions about McCauley's statements but emphasized that state law requires a one-year expulsion.

Herpin considers Stiles an "average student" in both grades and behavior but said Stiles never got in serious enough trouble to warrant an expulsion. Kruithof said Stiles had other disciplinary incidents in the past but said he didn't know if they resulted in suspensions.

The search of Stiles' purse that turned up the medication came after a tip from a teacher about a student smoking at school. Herpin said her daughter was part of a group that was searched in response to the tip.

Kruithof said a teacher identifed Stiles as the student smoking a cigarette and that Stiles ran into a restroom, where a teacher searched only her purse.

No cigarettes or lighters were found. Stiles was not disciplined for tobacco-related violations.

Students caught smoking usually are suspended.

"I think a one-year expulsion for an over-the-counter medicine is pretty severe," Herpin said.

Stiles said she carried the medicine in her purse because she got frequent headaches.

"I just never thought about the fact that I could be searched. I think we're old enough to know how many (pills) we can take without overdosing or being in danger."

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