TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Gang-Related Expulsions Hit LP Middle

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

SUR13 is displayed in graffiti on a neighborhood fence near Kenilwoth Blvd in Sebring. The writing refers to a street gang that is nationally known as Surenos.

ADVERTISEMENT

By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: February 5, 2009

LAKE PLACID - Four Lake Placid middle school students are facing expulsion due to what the school calls gang-related activity in the past two months, but Principal Derrel Bryan said there has been no gang-related violence on the school's campus.

The two most recent expulsion recommendations involved gang-related vandalism.

"That was vandalism to the point we had to repaint a bathroom," Bryan said. "That gets pretty serious when we have to spend a couple hundred dollars repainting a bathroom because of gang graffiti all over the place.

"We are trying to be as proactive as we can and nip it in the bud. Most of it is what we call 'tagging' gang graffiti being written on schools, especially bathrooms."

The graffiti is documented and promptly removed every time it is discovered, he said.

If a student is found to be committing such vandalism, the penalty is enhanced, Bryan added.

Surveillance cameras, which cover about half the campus, help with finding out who is responsible, he said, but students are not shy about reporting violations.

"Our kids take pride in our campus and they don't want it defaced or ruined, so when something like that happens, we know fairly quickly," he said.

Though no gang-related acts of violence have occurred at the school, Bryan said "we do pay attention to the little signs, the warning signs that would cause us concern about gang activity on our campus."

At the Jan. 20 school board meeting, five of the nine expulsion recommendations approved by the school board involved Lake Placid Middle School students.

Those expulsion recommendations were for the following offenses: criminal mischief /gang related and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief/ gang-related, possession and transfer of drugs, possession of drugs and possession of a weapon (razor blade).

The school has a zero tolerance for any type of weapon found on students, Bryan said. It's different if students notify school officials that they forgot about bringing a pocket knife to school and turn it in, Bryan added.

The school had a reason to search the student who was caught with a razor blade, so the expulsion was recommended, he said.

For an unknown reason or reasons, more discipline referrals occur at the middle school level in January and February compared to any other time during the school year, Bryan said.

Many of the students who are expelled from regular classes in the district attend the district's alternative school - the Academy at Youth Care Lane.

"I think we probably sent more this year to the academy than any year since I've been here," Bryan said, who is in his fifth year at the school. About eight to 10 students from Lake Placid Middle have attended the academy this year.

Thus far through the 2008-09 school year, the school district's Student Services Department reports the following number of expulsion recommendations by school:

• Avon Park High - 8

• Lake Placid High - 6

• Sebring High - 14

• Avon Park Middle - 4

• Lake Placid Middle - 11

• Sebring Middle - 6

• Hill-Gustat Middle - 3

Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT