Jennie Runevitch/Eyewitness News
Johnson County - Several Center Grove Middle School North students are in trouble after allegedly buying, selling and taking prescription drugs at school Thursday. They face suspension as well as possible expulsion.
Students went to the principal Thursday afternoon after noticing illegal activity by their classmates at school.
"They went to the office and said, 'Hey, we're hearing kids talk about taking or selling some drugs here at school,'" said Dr. Bill Long, Center Grove superintendent.
Prescription drugs, they said, were disguised in a candy mint container. The school and sheriff's department investigated and conducted interviews for nearly seven hours.
They determined eight seventh graders were buying, selling and taking the drugs around the lunch hour. Some students admitted purchasing the pills for five dollars. Others said they threw them in the trash or flushed them down the toilet.
The alleged seller's parents told police her son must have taken the pills, prescribed to his sister, from home. He told investigators he did it to be considered cool.
"It's just becoming a different problem for schools to have to address and to be on the lookout for. But it's very very concerning and when we're talking about seventh graders. It's just something that scares us," said Dr. Long.
School leaders sent home letters with students Friday, explaining the investigation and encouraging parents to talk to their kids about prescription drugs.
"What's scary is kids will take medication and not know whether they're allergic to it or not and not know what their reaction would be and that's very frightening," said Long.
The school commends fellow classmates for reporting the drugs. Now they want to know if this was an isolated case or if prescription pills are a bigger problem district-wide.
The students could face criminal charges in juvenile court. The pills are being analyzed to find out exactly what substances they contain.
