Education and law enforcement officials are said to be mulling over a solution to what is being described as a “menace” of marijuana possession at one of the nation’s secondary schools.
“That seems to be a trouble school,” one source told iWitness News of the co-ed secondary school located in a rural district of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“Too many times, students are taking cannabis to school,” another source said.
“… the school needs help and the Ministry [of Education] is not helping in my opinion,” said one person who agreed to speak to iWitness News about the situation on condition of anonymity.
“The ages of the students are alarming,” the source said and asked iWitness News to write about the situation with the hope that something would be done about it.
iWitness News understands that when students are caught with drugs at the school, police take them through the procedure as if they were being charged then release them without charge.
On one of the most recent occasions, a fourth form student was caught with 20 grammes of cannabis.
One of the students’ parents is said to have refused to attend a meeting called to discuss the drug find.
iWitness News understands that law enforcement agents are considering visiting the school to talk to the students and also with the parent-teacher association.
The proposal is that any student found with drugs at the school after these meetings be charged and made to answer in court.
“The Ministry of Education needs to do something because they are in the media saying that students have a right to education. That is true, but they need to put something in place to deal with such matters,” the source said.
Time to place School Resource Officers (Police) at our troubled schools on a full time basis as they have done in the US. Part of these Officers responsibilities is to teach the DARE Program and act as the eyes and ears for mainstream law enforcement. The DARE Program should be a part of every schools curriculum.
The presence of Police Officers at the schools will act as deterrent against any form of criminality or anti social behavior. The Officers will also educate the students on the dangers of drugs, bullying, gang involvement, alcohol use and antisocial behavior.
If the school cant be named in the interest of protection from a charge of libel because the facts are based on here-say, or what we peasants call demsay
aka gossip, then the story should not be posted at all.
This is simply journalism 101, Mr. Chance, even though many scandal rags like the National Inquirer practice it every day.
And some people in SVG want to legalize this drug.
School is where you go to get an education not to smoke or sell drugs and disrupt who are there to learn.
The ministry should expell any student found with drugs or weapons on school compounds, let their parents deal with them because a lot of parents show or take no interest in their children education. For them school is just another six to seven hours they don’t have to deal with their kids.
Education revolution. It will soon get worse. ask Ben
Angree with you ah 100% Vincentiann! Couldn’t of said it any better!