2 middle-schoolers expelled for drugs

BELFAST – Two Troy Howard Middle School students implicated in marijuana use earlier this month have been expelled.

Belfast Detective Michael McFadden said the two boys were expelled from school after an executive session with the SAD 34 School Board Tuesday night. The expulsions were for violating the school’s code of conduct, McFadden said Wednesday.

The boys were among six students charged earlier this month in connection with drug use at the school. The school board has scheduled additional expulsion hearings with the other four students next week. One boy was arrested for drug trafficking and the others were issued summonses.

Combined, the six students were charged with 11 offenses ranging from possession of a useable amount of marijuana to possession of drug paraphernalia, aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and aggravated furnishing in scheduled drugs.

McFadden said marijuana was recovered from several sources during the course of the investigation.

School officials alerted police to the problem on Tuesday, Nov. 6, when they learned that a boy from Swanville had smoked a marijuana cigarette on school grounds while on the school bus. McFadden said police quickly determined the knowledge of this drug use among the students was widespread and that many students were participating in drug use.

“The findings of the investigation have led us to be concerned on several levels,” the middle school administration said in a prepared statement. “We became aware that many students had knowledge of inappropriate behavior, but were choosing to remain silent, thus allowing the behavior to continue.

“It saddens us that many students had awareness, yet chose not to go to an adult. Equally we have found the pervasiveness of these behaviors to be of great concern to the community,” the administrator said.

The administration urged parents to “engage in an honest conversation with your child about these recent events.”