Following the incident where a Grade 10 learner was found to be in possession of marijuana at Bryanston High School on 1 November, Sandton Chronicle visited the school to hear about their policies on dealing with drug-related offences.
Sandton Chronicle was alerted to the matter by a concerned parent who believed her child was in danger returning to the school where the child found to be in possession of the drug was also present. The parent said that the child implicated was dealing in drugs.
However, principal at Bryanston High, John Skelton said there was no evidence that the child implicated was a drug dealer.
Chairperson of the school governing body, Aidan Hillebrand also said an alternative venue had been found for the two children implicated in the matter to write their exams.
Hillebrand and deputy principal, Jerome Lawrence spoke to Sandton Chronicle, clarifying their school’s disciplinary process for offences such as this one.
During the formal disciplinary process, the child who committed a serious offence should be suspended for a maximum of seven days prior to a disciplinary hearing before the school governing body. The child will then be suspended for a further maximum of seven days before the outcome of the finding is made known.
Bryanston High immediately called the parents of the children implicated in the incident on 1 November and Hillebrand said that both sets of parents decided to remove their children from the school.
Subsequently, it has come to light that one of the parents would now like their child to complete exams and therefore, an alternative venue has been arranged for the said child.
The parents of all children at the school were informed on 3 November, in a formal notice about the incident, to allay any concerns.
Skelton wrote, “I would like to reassure you that the school is taking this very seriously and we have acted according to our code of conduct, the Schools Act and input from the department.”
The notice also assured parents that the school is doing its utmost to protect all learners and staff at all times. The police were on the scene when the marijuana was found, but have not yet confirmed details of the incident to Sandton Chronicle.
Warrant officer Mmakgomo Semono commented that awareness campaigns have been conducted by police to deal with the issue of drugs in schools.
“Our kids may be abused by drug lords to sell to other learners. We believe that with cooperation from schools, we are able to lessen the prevalence of drugs in schools,” said Semono.
The Gauteng Department of Education had not yet responded to questions from Sandton Chronicle at the time of going to print.
