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Over the last month, there were two separate incidents in which marijuana-tainted brownies were brought to school. The first was at the beginning of October and the second last week, Staples Principal John Dodig said Friday.
“In both cases, people saw something suspicious going on and reported it to us,” Dodig said. “Everything had been substantiated and arrests were made. Those involved knew what he or she was doing.”
The students' names can't be released because they are minors. Dodig also could not say what grade-level they are in.
Because juveniles are involved, Westport Police Capt. Sam Arciola could only comment that the incidents are under investigation.
The three students were each expelled for one year following expulsion hearings, Dodig said. However, some of the students involved will be allowed to return to school earlier under the condition that the expulsion can be reinstated if they get in trouble again, he said.
“It’s based on their level of involvement,” Dodig said. An expulsion, he noted, can be anywhere from 11 days to 180.
Dodig said incidents like this are uncommon. During his nine years at Staples, he said, similar incidents have happened “every couple years.” However, he said incidents involving drugs and alcohol were a daily occurrence when he was an assistant principal in Madison in the late-1970s.
“A number of things have happened over the years to change our culture, and kids now are much more responsible, more knowledgeable and better behaved,” he said. “Having said that, we’re talking about 1,900 teens here. Some of them are going to make poor decisions. It’s the nature of being a teenager to indulge in risky behavior.”
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