Lawmakers are discussing ways to keep students out of trouble by keeping them in extracurricular activities even if they’re caught with drugs. Lawmakers are considering reducing the minimum penalty for students who get in trouble with controlled substances.
The Senate Education Committee approved Senate Bill 113. It reduces the minimum penalty for students who possess, use, or distribute a controlled substance. Bob Sittig is the Superintendent for the Baltic School District. He says taking students out of activities as penalization is a bad thing.
"There are numerous studies out there that show that students who participate in activities, they do better in school grade wise; they have less trouble with the law. They actually do better in life later on, then students who don’t participate in activities," Sittig says.
Senate Bill 113 extends the amount of offenses to three instead of the current two. The bill sets the first offense at a 30 calendar day suspension from activities if a student enrolls in counseling. The second offense is 60 calendar days, if the student completes a treatment program. On a student’s third offense, they’d be suspended from activities from any secondary school in the state. This bill passed the Senate Education Committee unanimously. It goes next to the Senate Floor.
