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More Questions & Answers - Detention for a Bag of Dirt

More Questions & Answers - Detention for a Bag of Dirt
By: Tony Hensley

Sikeston, Missouri - Police and school leaders in Sikeston say the case involving a 6-year-old girl and a bag of dirt needs to be taken seriously.

"If she would have been 14, we would have been arrested her and taken her to jail.” Sgt. Shirley Porter said.

It's a story you saw only on Heartland News. One that generated an incredible response from you. More than a 1,000 of you logged onto our web site to voice your opinion on the Sikeston first grade student disciplined for giving a bag of dirt and grass to a classmate.

Police and school leaders felt it looked like a bag of marijuana. The girl's mother tells Heartland News that her child did not realize the difference between a bag of weed and the illegal kind. But, passing even a fake drug is illegal and had the child been older, she could have been arrested.

This really is a tough situation for school leaders because they cannot talk to us about disciplinary action against any student. But, with Superintendent Steve Borgsmiller's support, Sikeston police can talk to us about how important it is to handle any drug issue seriously no matter how old the student or how real the threat.

"It's important that a student understands what a drug is.” Sgt. Shirley Porter said.

It may sound simple but Student Resource Officer Sgt. Shirley Porter says it's a problem that continues to rear its ugly head. During her 16 years as a student resource officer she continues to be amazed at how drug problems make it onto school grounds. No matter how old the students are.

Sgt. Porter says, "They are smarter than you think, we don't give them never as much credit as we need give them because they are really smart individuals."

And that's why Sgt. Porter says she talks to kids in high school all the way down to kindergarten about drug awareness and Porter says parents too need to reinforce the warning. “Education starts at home. As parents they need to teach your child about drugs. Teach them about everyday things of life. So, you can know what level they are on as far as their knowledge and we are going to back it up at school with facts and figures. Some with personal experiences and thing's like that."

Superintendent Steve Borgsmiller agrees. Speaking by phone with Heartland News, Borgsmiller says officers absolutely should address drug awareness to children of all ages. Sgt. Shirley Porter was even involved in last Tuesday's questioning of 6-year-old Michaela Boyd.

Sgt. Porter says, "If she had been a 14 year old we would have arrested her taken her to jail and she would have to meet with juvenile authorities. She would have been suspended from school for anywhere between 90 to 180 days. That's how serious it is."

Sgt. Porter also tells Heartland News, that parents need to remember that kids are curious and don't often don't think about consequences.