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Students reached out to Marijuana party for help
By Hempology | June 21, 2007
The World-Spectator, SN
18 Jun 2007
Amanda Stephenson
MARIJUANA DEBATE LEADS TO PROTEST, SUSPENSIONS AT WAWOTA SCHOOL
What began as a discussion about the effects of marijuana ended in Wawota last week with a protest, a school lockdown, and the suspension of two students.
Fifteen-year-old Kieran King and his 14-year-old brother Lucas were suspended from school last week after a string of events that culminated in members of Saskatchewan’s Marijuana Party coming to Wawota to protest outside the school.
It all began about six months ago when Kieran started doing research on the medical effects of marijuana. He began telling his fellow students that marijuana has not been proven to be more harmful than alcohol or tobacco, and that in fact it does have some medical benefits, such as nausea relief for chemotherapy patients.
Kieran says he does not smoke, drink, or do drugs–he says he was only talking about marijuana because he became interested in the subject.
“That’s part of who I am,” he says. “I’ve always researched what I’ve been taught and looked into both sides.”
However, late last month, Wawota School principal Susan Wilson received a complaint from a student concerned that Kieran was promoting drug use.
Wilson asked Kieran’s mother, Jo Ann Euler, to come in for a meeting. Euler says Wilson told her that she didn’t know if Kieran was taking or distributing drugs, but that police would be called if it was discovered that he was. Euler says Wilson also requested that Kieran stop talking about drugs at school.
No disciplinary action was taken against Kieran, but the Grade 10 student believed Wilson’s warning infringed against his freedom of speech. He began talking about his situation online with groups like the Cannabis Culture Forum and the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party. Before long, members of the Marijuana Party had offered to help Kieran organize a protest action.
On Tuesday, June 12, two members of the Marijuana Party and one member of eNDProhibition ( a wing of the NDP that is lobbying for the legalization of marijuana ) set up across the street from Wawota School with a megaphone, signs, hemp seed cookies, and a giant flag with a cannabis leaf on it.
Kieran says he believes at that point, many of his classmates were supporting him and wanted to join the protest. However, students were informed that because of Wawota School’s closed campus policy–which states students cannot leave the grounds during school hours without a note from their parents–no-one would be permitted to go across the street.
Kieran and his brother decided to go anyway. Two other students went with them, but returned to class quickly for fear of getting in trouble.
In the meantime, the school instituted their lockdown policy–preventing anyone from entering or leaving the building. The RCMP did attend the protest briefly to check things out, but no charges were laid.
While principal Susan Wilson declined to comment, Southeast Cornerstone School Division Director of Education Don Rempel says the school’s administration made the right decision in responding to the incident the way they did.
“I think the school took appropriate action because the protesters weren’t part of the school community and never took the opportunity to come in and introduce themselves to school staff,” Rempel says. “They were also calling for students to come out and join the protest. This certainly was not an authorized school activity and staff has the obligation to look out for the safety and wellbeing of their students.”
As a result of leaving the schoolgrounds without permission, Kieran and Lucas each received a three-day suspension.
While Rempel says the school division doesn’t normally discuss details of individual student disciplinary issues, he says the punishments were the result of the students’ violations of an existing school policy.
“I think the school took appropriate measures,” he says. “Wawota School is a closed campus–students are to stay on campus during school hours unless they have a signed note from a parent.”
However, those involved in the protest believe the school overreacted.
“I’m exceptionally surprised,” says Ethan Erkiletian of the Saskatchewan Marijuana Party, who attended the protest. “Really, the reaction thus far–the antagonistic response–has been incredible. We are encouraging citizens and interested parties to contact Wawota Parkland School and the Director of Education to express their displeasure.”
“I thought because it was for freedom of speech, they ( school administration ) wouldn’t be too against it,” Kieran says. “I never expected them to be as harsh as they were with the punishment.”
Kieran’s mother–who teaches at Carlyle School– says she knows Wawota School has a closed campus policy and that her sons violated it when they left they grounds. However, she supports her son’s right to speak his mind.
“Neither one of my kids smokes, drinks, or does drugs–that’s why I allowed Kieran to express his freedom of speech on this issue,” she says.
Euler’s biggest concern right now is Kieran’s final exams. Her son was supposed to leave for a trip to China last Friday, and the school had granted him special permission to write his exams early. However, his suspension meant he was not able to.
“Kieran is a 90 student, and if he takes a zero on these exams he’ll have 60s on his transcript,” Euler says.
Euler spent a lot of time on the phone last week with the Department of Learning to see if her son can write his finals in China.
For his part, Kieran says he is still glad he stood up for what he views as his right to free speech. “I’m really shocked and disappointed with the reaction of the school, but I think it got its message across–the protest was a success.”
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