Three Florida Third-Graders Face Felony Charges for Bringing Marijuana To School

Principal Debra Gore says, "We're not going to tolerate things like this."
Zero-tolerance for the mistakes of 8 or 9-year olds? The principal may be good,
but in the face of two "nickel" bags of marijuana, she is about to abandon reason.

I have a 6-year old daughter. Kids this young do silly things. They learn by making mistakes. We tell them when they have made and mistake and then they learn.
But making a felony out of this is preposterous. Oh, but it's drrrruggggs!
We can't be reasonable about this, we need to "send the children a lesson."

Well, let's see how it plays out. Maybe the principal will sober up in the morning.

http://www.wftv.com/news/3837061/detail.html

WFTV.com
Third-Graders Face Felony Charges For Bringing Marijuana To School
POSTED: 5:27 PM EDT October 20, 2004
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Channel 9 has learned that three third graders at Pine Hills Elementary in Orange County are in trouble for bringing marijuana to school. A concerned parent called Channel 9 and we've been investigating ever since.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office says a teacher saw the third graders with two small bags of marijuana Tuesday. A letter was sent home to parents explaining the situation after the three children, none older than 10 years old, brought pot to school.
With a street value of about $10, the nickel bags of pot are far from the biggest drug seizure ever. But factor in where they were found and who was holding them, and Pine Hills parents are all but speechless.
Channel 9 has learned the three Pine Hills third graders are facing felony charges of drug possession after one of them brought cannabis to campus.

"We're not going to tolerate things like this," says Principal Debra Gore.
Gore says it was a teacher who first spotted the students showing off the drugs, which the on-campus deputy quickly confiscated.
Orange County schools have long had a zero-tolerance policy. Normally, a student found with drugs would be expelled on the spot. But since authorities may never know which student was ultimately responsible, Gore says all three will be suspended from school as the state attorney considers whether to prosecute them.

"I can't control what goes on in the neighborhood, but I can control what goes on on my campus. And that's where the focus is, and that's what I need to reassure parents," says Gore.
School leaders say parents have been cooperative, but defensive, of their respective kids, each of whom is claiming a different kid supplied the pot.
Copyright 2004 by wftv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.