Parents will appeal son’s alcohol-related suspension

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

MINERAL RIDGE

The parents of a Mineral Ridge High School student say they will challenge the 10-day suspension their son received Monday morning for alcohol-related activities they say occurred at the Mineral Ridge Homecoming dance Saturday at the Fifth Season Banquet Center.

The boy’s father told The Vindicator several students reported that alcohol was in the beverages they consumed at the dance. He said the alcohol apparently came from an unattended bar area not far from where the students got beverages provided by the school, such as soda.

A Weathersfield police officer providing security at the event gave their son a breath test and determined he had consumed alcohol at the dance, the father said.

But officials didn’t test the other kids, allowing many of them to leave the dance even though they also may have consumed alcohol, the father added. Officials “singled out” his son and punished him without investigating enough to determine that many others had also consumed alcohol, he claimed.

The boy’s mother said she believes her son’s drink was “spiked” and that he truthfully told the officer he didn’t consume alcohol intentionally.

Schools Superintendent Damon Dohar said he could not confirm or deny that any such incident took place because school district is investigating the matter and he is not allowed by law to discuss disciplinary matters involving a student.

Dohar denied the father’s assertion that anyone has been suspended from school as a result of the incident, though the father said he attended a meeting Monday morning at the school at which time he was informed that his son is suspended, effective Monday. He brought his son home, he said.

Capt. Mike Naples of the Weathersfield Police Department said a township police officer provided security at the dance, but the police department did not conduct an investigation into the matter because it is being handled internally by the school district and because it’s not in his department’s jurisdiction.

Austintown Police Chief Bob Gavalier said The Fifth Season is in his department’s jurisdiction. He said it is sometimes OK for another police department to come into Austintown and provide security for a dance for its school district, as in this case, but that department doesn’t have the authority to conduct an investigation there, so Austintown police should be notified if suspected illegal activity occurs.

Gavalier said Tuesday night that a Weathersfield officer called Austintown police Tuesday morning to talk to its juvenile officer Detective Kathy Dina. She called back and left a message, which wasn’t returned as of Tuesday night, Gavalier said.

“I don’t know if they want to talk to us now or what,” Gavalier said of Weathersfield police and the situation. “I honestly think that they probably don’t want to talk to her. ... Nobody even called to tell us that anything wrong happened there. We have nothing.”

He added that he would have Dina call again today.

The Vindicator chose to keep the family’s name from this story at this time because no charges have been filed. Dohar said the matter becomes public only if the family appeals a punishment and the Weathersfield Board of Education is required to either approve or reject the appeal.

Calls to The Fifth Season Monday and Tuesday were not returned.

Contributor: Robert Connelly, staff writer.