cannabisnews.com: Praised Principal Retires After Pot Arrest! 





Praised Principal Retires After Pot Arrest! 
Posted by FoM on July 24, 1999 at 08:28:40 PT
By William Rabb 
Source: Alabama Live
The resignation of a highly praised principal after his arrest for marijuana possession has saddened some colleagues and parents, though others say school anti-drug efforts are meaningless if adults don't hold to a higher standard. 
Alvin D. Greene, 49, abruptly retired in May after five years as principal at Brazier Elementary School in north Mobile. His departure came two weeks before school was out and one day after he was arrested near his home in Daphne on charges of driving under the influence and possession of a small amount of marijuana. Greene pleaded guilty to the DUI, and prosecutors earlier this week put the marijuana charge on hold for a year, a common plea-bargain practice, said D. Robert "Rob" Stankoski Jr., assistant Baldwin County district attorney. It will be dropped if he stays out of trouble, Stankoski said. Greene was a first-time offender, according to court records. Mobile County public schools' drug policy calls for long-term suspensions on students caught with drugs. But someone in a principal's position "should face termination," said Patricia Crawford, coordinator of the school system's anti-drug effort. "You have to have zero tolerance, and the adults should set an example." But others said the situation brought a premature end to what they described as an illustrious career in the local schools. Greene previously served as a teacher and assistant principal at Holloway Elementary School, according to the Register's library files. "He shouldn't have to resign. What happened was his business. That's not our business," said Cynthia Brazeal, who has four children at Brazier. Brazier teacher Kathryn Bates said Greene, her longtime colleague, cared deeply about the school. "He resigned on his own because he didn't want to bring any bad light to that school. He didn't have to resign, but that's how much he cared," she said. Greene could not be reached for comment: His Daphne telephone number is no longer in service, and attempts to reach him through his attorney were unsuccessful. It's unclear what action the school system administration would have taken had he not resigned. School system policy does not address drug arrests away from the workplace. Employees caught with or arrested for possession of any drugs on school-system property face termination, non-renewal of their contract, or other disciplinary action, according to the policy. "It's a shame, really. It's a major loss to the school system," said Kathy Irwin, the technology coordinator at Brazier. "His heart was in that community. He did so much." Greene, in fact, has been called one of the best principals that sometimes-troubled Brazier Elementary has had. He saw that sidewalks were installed so kids wouldn't have to walk home in the mud, teachers and parents say. He had the school rooms painted for the first time in 14 years. He had a security system installed, all but eliminating the break-ins that teachers say came at the rate of almost one a weekend. The roof leaks were fixed. Greene, say teachers and other school employees, also had computers installed throughout the 500-student school. Last Halloween, the school held a costume party. When one youngster showed up without a costume, Greene paid for an outfit out of his own pocket, teachers recalled. He also contributed to a sense of pride and security for the community in this neighborhood tucked between Interstate 65 and the Prichard city limits, community members say. The school now has two crossing guards where it once had none, even during summer school. "He got those sidewalks in," Ms. Irwin said. The school is still struggling to make improvements, officials agree. Under Greene's watch, the school dropped from "Caution" status, a step below the acceptable "Clear" level, to "Alert 2", just a step away from the state taking it over. But in the 1998-99 year, it improved to Caution status. The designations are based on standardized test scores for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. To motivate students this past year, Greene promised that everyone who raised their Stanford Achievement Test scores over the previous year would win a trip to a water park in Destin, Fla. More than 100 students obliged, and fund-raisers were held to pay for the trip. "It takes a while for things to get turned around sometimes," Ms. Bates said. "I think things were finally starting to pay off." Greene was replaced by Alan Dailey, who is also highly regarded by teachers, Ms. Bates and Ms. Irwin said. Greene's resignation came just before a new, stricter student drug policy took effect. Starting this fall, if a student is caught on campus with alcohol or other drugs, he faces long-term suspension and enrollment in a special school for drug offenders. The superintendent may also recommend expulsion, Ms. Crawford said. The previous policy resulted in only a 10-day suspension for the first time a student is caught with drugs, she said. By WILLIAM RABBRegister Staff Reporter07/24/99© 1999 Alabama Live, LLC. All rights reserved. © 1999 Mobile Register. Used with permissionhttp://www.al.com/news/mobile/Jul1999/24-a303121a.html
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