A number of Kingswood College learners have been suspended or expelled in recent weeks following their use of marijuana.
A number of Kingswood College learners have been suspended or expelled in recent weeks following their use of marijuana.
It is unclear what the exact circumstances are, but according to various sources, pupils ranging from grades eight to 11 have been suspended or expelled after either testing positive for marijuana, or admitting to having used the drug, not necessarily on the school’s property.
The headmaster, Jon Trafford, declined the offer to confirm facts, saying, “It’s an ongoing disciplinary process at the moment, so it wouldn’t be prudent for me to be making any comment, simply because I don’t want to compromise what is part of our disciplinary code.”
A number of Kingswood learners expressed unhappiness with the situation but wished to remain anonymous, for fear of possible repercussions from the school. One of their complaints was related to the manner in which the drug testing was conducted, which they felt was unfair.
Trafford would not comment on the testing process, instead he referred Grocott’s Mail to the school’s code of conduct. “We have published a drugs policy and people are welcome to read this,” he said. The code of conduct however, does not set out the processes involved in drug testing the learners. It does state that the possession, use or distribution of illegal drugs are a schedule three offence, and outlines the disciplinary action that may be taken.
Learners are expressing their unhappiness by signing petitions and changing their Facebook statuses, to show their frustration and call for "justice".
Kingswood’s Communications Director, Debbie Smuts said many learners’ emotions were running high, but stated that, “if we do not create an environment where the use of drugs and illegal substances is discouraged, we are also taken to task for providing an environment where drug users will say ‘this is where it all started’”.
Trafford addressed the learners on Wednesday morning to discuss the processes that were used to reach their decisions and he feels that “we’ve engaged with the pupils where the pupils have felt anxiety, and I certainly feel that in terms of that engagement process, pupils of the school understand and have a better insight into how the processes of the school work”.
Trafford was quick to point out that drug issues do not concern only Kingswood, but entire communities. “We need to be conscious of the fact that we’re in an environment where drugs are freely available to young people, and I think we need to be embracing that, not just as Kingswood, but as a community. We need to be looking at ways in which we can support the young people of the school, but where we define what is right and wrong,” he said.
The affected learners are expected to appeal their sanctions.
