Windsor High School punishes 20 students for marijuana issues

Twenty students have been punished for cannabis-related issues in a roundup at Windsor High School that included six students being suspended and cited for possession of marijuana, school officials said.

The six students were caught with dab pens, small electronic vaporizing devices that contain high concentrations of cannabis. Two of the six students cited Oct. 26 were also suspected of distributing, said Deputy Don Fletcher, the school’s resource officer.

“That was the most I’ve ever cited in one day,” Fletcher said.

The six male and female students cited will receive counseling with Windsor Youth & Family Services, a juvenile intervention program.

The 14 other students “faced a variety of school consequences for their involvement,” said Principal Stacy Desidier.

“We take student safety at WHS very seriously. When we hear a concern about student safety, we investigate thoughtfully and thoroughly,” Desidier said in an email.

Many of the dab pens seized from the suspended students were a disposable brand whose devices look like black writing pens and are easy to conceal, Fletcher said.

“There’s a minor odor, but not like you would get from a marijuana bud,” Fletcher said. “The technology on them has gotten so good.”

Vaping has increased exponentially among teens across the United States in recent years. From 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette usage among high school students increased 900 percent, according to a U.S. Surgeon General report.

“There’s no bigger weed problem at Windsor High School than any other school in Sonoma County,” Fletcher said.

Windsor students have a variety of drug prevention and support programs to turn to, including DARE, Team Success, Support Our Students and the Drug Abuse Alternative Center.

“Windsor High School is committed to supporting the social-emotional, mental, and physical health of all students,” Desidier said.

You can reach Staff Writer Susan Minichiello at 707-521-5216 or susan.minichiello@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @susanmini.