At Hilton Head Middle School, student disciplined after allegedly distributing pills

Hilton Head Middle School is investigating a report of a 7th grade student handing out unknown types of pills to seven students in both the 7th and 6th grade.

Rumors of the student handing out the pills reached the school’s staff by Friday night, Jim Foster, communications director for Beaufort County School District, said Thursday.

Foster said the type of pills are unknown and that four students who accepted the pills when they were offered reported the incident and did not take them. However, three others did take them, Foster said.

“To the best of our knowledge, none of the kids who took the pills were ill in any way,” Foster said.

The student who allegedly handed out the pills and the three who took them have been punished according to the school district’s code of conduct, Foster said.

He could not specify exactly what the punishment was, but the school’s code lists drug distribution as calling for up to 10 days of out of school suspension with a recommendation for expulsion or assignment to an alternative school.

The alleged incident is also being investigated by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office as a possible controlled substance violation, Capt. Bob Bromage said.

The incident, Foster said, is the second to be reported at the middle school recently.

In October, Foster said an 8th grade students allegedly gave pills to two other students who took them. All three were also disciplined according to the district’s code of conduct.

“Drug use by students is something we take seriously,” Foster said. “Hilton Head Middle School is going to be encouraging parents to closely monitor any medications that are kept in the home.”

Foster said parents at the school have been notified of the incidents and that a parent night with the PTA is being planned to discuss ways to prevent children from coming into contact with drugs.

School faculty also plan to talk to students while they are in class.

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 11:35 AM with the headline "At Hilton Head Middle School, student disciplined after allegedly distributing pills."