Marijuana is a growing epidemic among high school teens. Weed was legalized in Colorado in January 2014. Since then there has been an increase of Fort Collins’ population using it. Colorado citizens must be 21 in order to legally purchase and use any sort of marijuana, but there is an abundance of students at Rocky who get high.

School suspensions are on the rise due to students coming to class under the influence of marijuana. In 2017 Rocky had 39 suspension due to marijuana. Some might think that Rocky’s deans are just more strict, but every school in Poudre School District has to abide by the same rules.

In all of PSD when a student is caught under the influence, their first offence is a 10-day out of school suspension, but this varies case-to-case, so most kids don’t serve all ten days. On the second offence they are expelled if someone is caught high.

There is a difference with paraphernalia, however. If the dean’s find a bong, pipe, alcohol etc., the first offence receives a five-day out of school suspension. The second is a ten-day suspension, and the third will result in being expelled.    

On record, Fort Collins schools have more marijuana suspensions than Greeley schools. This is a result of having two different rule books. Poudre School District has stricter rules than Greeley’s school districts and the rules vary widely throughout the state.

After January 2017, there was an increase in teens using marijuana at school. Rocky decided to partner with an organizations called “RMoms” after 2014. This organization offers four free drug tests to students’ parents. The goal of this program is the get parents more involved in what their children are doing and what they might be experimenting with.

The thought is that if the parents are more involved and are watching their children closer that teens will decide not to go down the “wrong path.” Parents who are interested in learning more about this program can contact them at http://www.rmoms.net/

Mr. Stapleton commented, “We thought of ways to give more services to families.” Another tool that students have here at Rocky are the drug and alcohol counselors Jenny Sifuentes and Katelyn O’Grady. Both of these woman have children assigned to them that they check in on, but if students are struggling with anything else they can help with, they are more than happy to sit down and talk and hopefully help.  

All of the rules, consequences and family services are in place to support our number one goal and that is to keep Rocky students clean and safe.

For more information on school suspensions in the state of Colorado see localtvkdvr.files.wordpress.com