ALBANY - One Albany High School student has been expelled due to a narcotics violation last month.
The Albany school board on Thursday night expelled a female student for accepting prescription anti-depressant medication from a 14-year-old girl on Nov. 30 and distributing them to other students.
According to Albany Police Chief Robert Levitt, police responded to the high school after the department received a call about prescription drugs being handed out throughout the school.
The 14-year-old girl brought her mom's prescription anti-depressant drugs to the school and gave them to another 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl.
Those two girls then distributed some of the pills to a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
The district wouldn't say which of the girls was expelled. Levitt and Albany School District Administrator Steve Guenther would not release the names of the students involved, as they are juveniles.
Levitt said the girl who distributed the drugs was not a resident of the district, and has since moved. One of the girls who first received the drugs has also moved out of the district.
Expulsion hearings for those two girls were supposed to be Thursday, but Guenther said because they have moved, and because not enough notice was given, they are not being pursued.
All five students involved in the incident are being charged in municipal court with possession of narcotics, a municipal violation punishable by a $293 fine.
The students have until their Jan. 16, 2008 court appearance to pay the charges or appear in court.
Levitt said this is the second time in two years the police department has investigated a complaint of prescription drugs being passed around the school.
"I don't think this is unusual for a school district," Levitt said. "Our school district works well with police and we try to get a handle on things like this before it gets out of control."
The Albany school board on Thursday night expelled a female student for accepting prescription anti-depressant medication from a 14-year-old girl on Nov. 30 and distributing them to other students.
According to Albany Police Chief Robert Levitt, police responded to the high school after the department received a call about prescription drugs being handed out throughout the school.
The 14-year-old girl brought her mom's prescription anti-depressant drugs to the school and gave them to another 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl.
Those two girls then distributed some of the pills to a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
The district wouldn't say which of the girls was expelled. Levitt and Albany School District Administrator Steve Guenther would not release the names of the students involved, as they are juveniles.
Levitt said the girl who distributed the drugs was not a resident of the district, and has since moved. One of the girls who first received the drugs has also moved out of the district.
Expulsion hearings for those two girls were supposed to be Thursday, but Guenther said because they have moved, and because not enough notice was given, they are not being pursued.
All five students involved in the incident are being charged in municipal court with possession of narcotics, a municipal violation punishable by a $293 fine.
The students have until their Jan. 16, 2008 court appearance to pay the charges or appear in court.
Levitt said this is the second time in two years the police department has investigated a complaint of prescription drugs being passed around the school.
"I don't think this is unusual for a school district," Levitt said. "Our school district works well with police and we try to get a handle on things like this before it gets out of control."