FARMINGTON — School resource officer Bridgette Gilbert presented the Regional School Unit 9 board Tuesday night a pamphlet listing state laws and the possible consequences for students who violate them and school rules.
She developed the pamphlet for the district’s Safe Schools Committee that is being organized. It’s based on one created by University of Maine at Farmington that she modified for the Mt. Blue Campus and the middle school, she said.
In December, the school board discussed putting together the Safe Schools Committee, which will consist of school administrators, guidance counselors, Gilbert and school directors Ross Clair of Chesterville and Kenneth Charles of Farmington. Charles is a detective for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
“The idea of the committee is to find out where the communities are with drugs and alcohol use to try and get a handle on what’s going on,” RSU 9 Superintendent Tom Ward previously said.
The district has been dealing with student drug issues that have come before the school board.
“These are many of the crimes we handle at school,” Gilbert told the board.
The Safe Schools Committee will hold its first meeting Thursday, Jan. 29. Committee members will decide how they will distribute the pamphlet and information to students and parents, she said.
According to the pamphlet, the guidelines for student suspension and police referral include:
* First offense involving drugs and alcohol, minimum five-day suspension; second offense, up to 10-day suspension, referral to school board and police.
* First offense for drug paraphernalia, five-day suspension, referral to police.
* First offense for tobacco use, one- to five-day suspension, referral to police; second offense, five- to 10-day suspension, referral to police; third offense, up to 10-day suspension, referral to police.
* Fighting, up to 10-day suspension.
* Theft, up to five-day suspension and possible charges filed with police.
* Possession of a weapon, up to 10-day suspension, and possible referral to the school board for a disciplinary hearing, referral to police. Weapons include firearms, ammunition, crossbows, metal knuckles, knives, chains, nunchaku and pellet guns.
* Harassment, whether verbal, physical, sexual or other, up to 10-day suspension and possible referral to police.
* Furnishing drugs/alcohol, up to 10-day suspension, referral to school board and police.
dperry@sunjournal.com
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