Drug Woes Growing in City’s Grade Schools

By Martha Woodall, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Mar. 29–Four bags of marijuana tumbled out when a 10-year-old took off his hat, and two more fell as he entered his classroom.

Three fifth graders took turns holding a bag containing a half ounce of marijuana, and the student who brought the drug to school had $920 in his pocket.

And when a 10-year-old was searched for a knife after he threatened to stab another student, school officials found suspected cocaine.

These are just a few of the reported cases of 59 Philadelphia School District students from kindergarten through sixth grade involving drugs or alcohol since September 2004.

And, the district now acknowledges, the problem involving young students is growing. Newly released district data show 33 of these cases were reported this academic year, compared with 26 for all of 2004-05.

During the week of March 6 alone, five incidents were reported at five different schools from Olney to South Philadelphia. The cases ranged from a third grader with a $5 bag of marijuana to a sixth grader with suspected crack.

"The problem of children getting their hands on drugs or having access to drugs is growing and needs to be addressed," said Paul Vallas, the Philadelphia School District’s chief executive officer.

And drugs find their way into suburban schools, too.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education says 10 youngsters at eight suburban schools were tied to drugs or alcohol during the 2003-04 academic year — the most recent information available.

New Jersey’s education department reported only two cases for the entire state during the 2004-05 school year. Neither were in South Jersey.

While two incidents might seem unrealistically low, New Jersey education officials said the numbers are accurate.

In the Pennsylvania suburbs, all the reports involved fifth or sixth graders and came from all four suburban counties.

In one instance, two sixth graders at the Graystone Academy Charter School in Coatesville were expelled after one of them brought a mini bottle of liquor to school.

"This was the first and only time anything like this has happened to us," said Linda Portlock, chief executive of the charter. "It was dealt with swiftly."

In another case, a sixth grader from William Penn Middle School in Bucks County’s Pennsbury district was sent to an alternative school after trying to sell marijuana on a school bus.

Schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are required by state laws to report drug and alcohol cases to the state for all ages, along with all violence incidents. And while Pennsylvania schools in the Philadelphia suburbs alone reported 10 cases of students in K-6, elementary schools in New Jersey’s 593 districts reported only two statewide in 2004-05.

A student in Trenton was suspended for possessing marijuana, and officials at a Middlesex County school found beer cans in the school’s courtyard.

Richard Vespucci, a spokesman for New Jersey’s education department, believes schools report all drugs and alcohol cases.

"Years ago, schools saw it as a mark against them, and they were reluctant to report it," he said. "The more current thinking is that you are not being branded. It is viewed as problems in society-at-large finding their way into public schools."

Others, however, say it is unlikely that districts in cities with large numbers of drug arrests would not have any incidents of students bringing drugs to elementary schools.

"I simply don’t believe that," said Vallas.

Camden saw a record 1,321 drug arrests in 2005 by local, state and federal authorities through a joint drug task force, according to Bill Shralow, spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. But no elementary schools in the Camden School District reported any cases of youngsters bringing drugs or alcohol to school.

"I can’t say for sure they aren’t," said Bart Leff, Camden spokesman. "But have we caught anybody doing it? We have not. We believe that our elementary schools are pretty clean. We are highly vigilant."

How often do kids bring drugs and alcohol to school?

No one keeps track nationally. But, William Modzeleski, associate deputy secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education, has heard about youngsters finding drugs on the street, or bringing them from home. "Prevention needs to start in elementary school," he said. "You can’t wait until middle school because kids are exposed to alcohol and drugs at an early age."

A rise in cases in Philadelphia has spurred the district to act.

Vallas has ordered a review of the health curriculum in the primary grades to underscore the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

He’s directed officials to step up random searches of lockers and book bags in middle and high schools. And the district has a new 24-hour drug reporting hotline: 215-400-DRUG.

"It’s part of a public campaign to heighten awareness that this is a growing problem," Vallas said. "It also provides parents and students a way to communicate anonymously."

When a young student is found with drugs or alcohol, what happens depends on the student’s age. Counseling is the focus especially for the youngest. Children below third grade are not suspended.

"In many of these cases, they do not understand the seriousness of what they are doing," said Gwen Morris, interim director of transition and alternative education.

A second grader at John M. Patterson Elementary School in Southwest Philadelphia found with a dozen packets of crack in her book bag a few weeks ago was not disciplined. Instead, she was permitted to transfer to another school for a fresh start. Police still don’t know who put the drugs in her book bag.

In many drug cases, students are required to participate with their parents in a program called the Saturday Morning Alternative Reach and Teach (SMART). The program includes counseling and sessions on character-building.

Nine of the 26 students involved with drug and alcohol incidents during 2004-05 were suspended, and five were sent to alternative programs, district records show. Three of the youngest received counseling.

When suspected drugs are found in schools, officials turn them over to police for analysis.

Once drugs are confirmed, police investigate how the child obtained them. "The goal is to make an arrest," said Sgt. Jim Pauley, a city police spokesman.

By state law, children under 10 cannot be arrested.

Schools often contact the city’s Department of Human Services to determine whether a drugs or alcohol incident signals neglect in the child’s home.

All students participate in drug and alcohol prevention classes. A special program targets elementary and middle schools in neighborhoods with drug problems.

Sharon Patton-Thaxton, principal of Prince Hall Elementary School in Ogontz, remembers the day in February 2005 when some fifth-grade girls reported that three male classmates were showing off, taking turns holding a small bag of marijuana during an assembly.

Patton-Thaxton was surprised by the drugs, but she was shocked when school police found $920 in one boy’s pocket.

He was sent to an alternative school. The others were suspended for four days.

In all her 32 years with the district, Patton-Thaxton had never seen anything like it. "It was a one-time thing," she said. "We had a drug awareness program after that."

Contact staff writer Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or martha.woodall@phillynews.com.

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