Facebook Photos Allegedly Show Students With Alcohol and Marijuana

Prior to the start of the school year, a packet of photos allegedly posted on Facebook showing Melrose High School students either using or in the presence of marijuana and alcohol was anonymously sent to school and police officials, leading to officials meeting with the students in the photos and their parents.

The existence of the photos came to light on Friday, when a packet containing the printed out photos was mailed by an unidentified source to the Melrose Free Press. The Free Press described the photos as showing nearly 70 students, some athletes and some members of clubs, involved in or in the presence of  under-age consumption of alcohol and the use of marijuana.

On Monday, in a joint statement e-mailed to Melrose Patch by mayor's aide Brigid Alverson, Superintendent Joe Casey and Melrose Police Chief Mike Lyle said that the Melrose School Resource Officer anonymously received the photos "that showed several Melrose teenagers at a house party" prior to the opening of school.

"Upon receipt of the photos, the School Resource Officer met with each teen and their parents individually to outline both the dangers of making poor decisions and the potential consequences of violating criminal laws and school rules," the joint statement said. "The investigation is ongoing."

Melrose Athletic Director Pat Ruggiero told Melrose Patch on Monday that no disciplinary action has been taken against the students because photos can be altered or manipulated.

"It obviously caught our attention immediately and we knew how serious it was and that's why the parents were contacted," Ruggiero said. "We've put a lot of things in place here. We're one of the few school districts that has 'in the presence of' [in the alcohol/drug policy for athletic teams, clubs and student organizations]. We don't know when the pictures were taken. We thought we took the correct route in contacting parents and having lengthy discussions with all of them."

Rules amended after incident two years ago

In 2008, after the Melrose High School football team's season-ending banquet was canceled due to members of the team allegedly being present at an underage drinking party, Melrose officials amended the high school alcohol and drug policy that applies to student-athletes and student club and organization members when they are not on school grounds or at school-sponsored events. The clause "in the presence of" alcohol or drugs was added to policy, an addition also in place in some neighboring school districts, such Wakefield, Saugus and Medford.

A first offense results in the student being suspended for two consecutive games and/or suspended for four weeks as a member of any high school club or organization, as well as bring removed from any leadership position they hold in a sport, club, or organization. Second and subsequent offenses result in a four consecutive game suspension—with the potential to have the suspension reduced to two games if the student takes part in an approved chemical dependency program or treatment program—and the students being suspended from the club or organization for the remainder of the school year or for a minimum of eight months, which can carry over into the next school year.

Ruggiero told Melrose Patch that those consequences would come into play if the student's violation was documented in a police report or reported by an eyewitness account.

"We'll continue to investigate it," she said. "The reason we contacted the parents was because of the seriousness of the pictures and what they're showing in those pictures. We take it very seriously and that's why the parents were contacted. We're talking about a set of well over 30 parents who have been contacted."

Lyle, Casey: "Saddened" and "disappointed"

In their joint statement, Casey and Lyle pointed to the steps taken by Melrose officials over the years to combat underage alcohol and drug use, including the Guiding Good Choices program and the city's Social Host Ordinance. Also, parents of Melrose High School students receive a letter at the start of the year signed by the mayor, superintendent, police chief, substance abuse prevention coordinator, and the principals of both the middle school and the high school that emphasizes to parents the importance of communicating with children about alcohol, drugs, and choices, both in school and out.

"We would like to be perfectly clear: No one is more saddened and disappointed than we are when our teens make poor choices," the statement reads. "Unfortunately it is clear in these photos that some teens are still making poor choices. This means that more needs to be done at home, more needs to be done at our schools, and more needs to be done in our community. We need to work harder in our homes, in our schools, in our police department, and in our community, because the job is not done."

Ruggiero echoed those remarks, saying "no one is more disappointed than I am," but reiterated that officials reacted immediately to the photos by "proactively" calling in the students and parents as they were identified.

"We are striving to work and educate parents and students alike," she said. "I know it's difficult in this society today. It saddens me to see the photos people are receiving, because the majority of our students do the right thing."