On Jan. 22, 2020, Jordan Evans, a sophomore at Northmont High School, was taken out of class and suspended after a teacher thought he smelled like marijuana. It wasn’t for the fact that he was under the influence but because he smelled of the substance.
After having other staff members at the school confirm that he smelled like weed, it was determined that he was breaking the student code of conduct. Upon coming to the conclusion that he would be suspended, his mother was called to get him from the school.
Evans’ mother, Katrina Cottrell, brought a drug test to the school with her. Cottrell told Dayton 24/7 Now that “[she] drug tested [her] son in front of the school and the principal. They saw the results and they came back negative.”
Taken directly from the 2017-2018 Student Handbook for Northmont High School that is available online, it says, “No student shall come to school, remain at school, or attend any school-sponsored activity with the smell of alcohol/marijuana on his/her breath/person or showing signs of consumption regardless of when or where the marijuana/alcoholic beverage was consumed.”
Drug-related suspensions mentioned in the handbook state that “students behaving in an illegal manner, Category “B,” will be suspended from school for ten (10) school days.” This shouldn’t apply to Evans considering he was not behaving in an illegal manner.
After he passed the drug test taken at school, his mother took him to urgent care where he then passed another drug test.
“They could’ve asked any other students.” Evans said to Dayton 24/7, “they could’ve smelled others, but they picked [him].”
Evans’ mother is worried he is being racially profiled. Northmont High School had previously hired a diversity couch to make sure that white teachers were acting fairly towards students of color, particularly black boys.
Jordan Evans ended up not only being suspended but expelled.
Northmont released a statement that says, “Northmont High School has adopted a Student Code of Conduct which sets expectations for student behavior and which specifies consequences when misconduct occurs. We provide all students considered for suspension or expulsion an opportunity to speak against possible discipline and to otherwise tell their side of the story. State and federal student privacy laws prevent us from publicly discussing a particular student’s discipline. Therefore we cannot respond.”
Evans’ grades have been heavily affected by this and it makes one wonder if the administration is really doing what is best for the students by implementing certain rules in the way they do.
Hannah Shafer
Reporter