Expulsion Alternatives May be Considered for Drug Offenses

Instead of expelling students who possess drugs, or who use substances while on school grounds, Hatboro-Horsham officials are seeking alternatives to keep kids in school.

They use breathalyzers at proms and school dances, police and administrators peruse school parking lots for student drug activity and canines randomly sniff backpacks.  Yet, Hatboro-Horsham School District officials said the ability to keep drugs and alcohol use from seeping into the schools, has, so far, eluded them. "We’re trying to find some answers," Superintendent Curtis Griffin said during Tuesday's school board work session, adding that administrators also work closely with police. "We’re trying. We’re searching for better answers every day." Among one of the possible solutions is to hire a Student Assistance Program counselor to coordinate substance abuse prevention and detection efforts district-wide, with children beginning in …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Proud to be an American

4:39 pm on Monday, April 15, 2013

You should run for a seat on the school board. You actually have 'common sense' which MOST of these school districts seem to lack. I have the utmost respect for our teachers. They have to deal with this bull crap, when clearly LOTS of parents lack in teaching their own kids respect and the difference between right and wrong! By right, I don't mean, let's go buy our 16 yr old a car because he did …   more ›

Horsham Hosts Forum on Drug, Alcohol Abuse

Hatboro-Horsham School District's second annual 'Conversation Forum' is slated for Jan. 30 at the Horsham Township Community Center.

Have you ever wished you could get in teenagers' heads to find out why the lure of drugs and alcohol is, in some cases, so powerful? Well, now you can. As part of the second annual "Conversation Forum," local teens will share "their personal journey through substance abuse," according to organizer Kim Rubenstein. The Jan. 30 panel discussion, which is one of many substance abuse awareness events put forth by Hatboro-Horsham School District's nearly 2-year-old initiative, Be A Part of the Conversation, is focused on continuing the conversation about drugs and alcohol. "What people really liked about it was they got to hear the reality of substance abuse in young people," Rubenstein said of last year's forum, which drew about 150 people. "…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Former Cross Country Coach Waives Hearing in Corruption of Minor Case

William Ryan Lichtner is accused of supplying vodka to a 17-year-old Hatboro-Horsham High School athlete on multiple occasions.

An Ambler man on Wednesday waived his preliminary hearing and will be formally arraigned on charges stemming from his alleged supply of alcohol to an underage Hatboro-Horsham High School student.  William Ryan Lichtner, 24, a former Hatboro-Horsham High School girls cross country coach of two years, is accused of supplying Vlad Vodka, Smirnoff Vodka, Four Loko, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Whipped Pinnacle Vodka and Blue Wave Vodka to a 17-year-old female on “at least eight occasions” from February 2012 through May 19, according to court documents.  The teen, who made the allegations against Lichtner, notified the high school’s guidance counselor on May 24, according to authorities. The Horsham Township Police began an investigation that day. The…

•  12 Comments
• Documents (1)

H-H Cross Country Coach Allegedly Supplied Alcohol to Student

The Ambler man had served as the girls' cross country coach for two years.

A Hatboro-Horsham High School girls cross country coach has been charged in conjunction with allegations that he furnished alcoholic beverages to a 17-year-old student. William Ryan Lichtner, 24, of Ambler, was arrested Wednesday and charged with corruption of minors and furnishing liquor to minors.  Lichtner, while employed as the high school's cross country coach, is alleged to have provided a number of alcoholic beverages to a 17-year-old female student at Hatboro-Horsham High School, according to authorities. At the time of the offense, Lichtner had served as the Hatboro-Horsham cross country coach during the fall season for the past two years.  An investigation into Lichtner's alleged actions got underway after the student disclosed …

•  16 Comments
• Documents (1)

Substance Abuse ‘Conversation’ to Continue

Hatboro-Horsham school officials will use student drug use survey results to drive future initiatives.

What factors contribute to kids trying, and in some cases, abusing drugs and alcohol?  Hatboro-Horsham School District officials are striving to find answers that may help steer future generations of students away from using drugs. Officials hope to gain some clarity from 1,600 Hatboro-Horsham High School students, who last month completed a survey related to various forms of drug use. Similar queries will be given to Keith Valley Middle School students today. “Are there any indicators that can help us to preempt?” Kim Rubenstein, a parent liaison for the district’s Be A Part of the Conversation initiative asked. “When you talk about prevention, it’s pretty tricky because it’s very difficult to (prevent) a young person from taking chances …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (2)
• Documents (2)

Horsham Woman Fired from Guidance Counselor Post

Symantha Hicks, a guidance counselor at the Valley Forge Military Academy and College is suspected of providing alcohol to two cadets.

H-H School District Parents, Students, Staff Join 'Conversation' About Drugs and Alcohol

Nearly 200 people turned out for Tuesday's district-sponsored event.

Nearly 200 parents, students, community members and area educators joined together Tuesday at the Horsham Township Community Center and demonstrated their willingness to "Be a Part of the Conversation" that the Hatboro-Horsham School District has initiated about drug and alcohol use and abuse. The first of three planned "Be a Part of the Conversation" events for this school year was aimed at getting students, parents and employees talking about substance abuse. The initiative got underway last spring. Steve Glaize, Hallowell Elementary School principal, served as the evening's moderator and began by reading excerpts from a newspaper article printed in 1971 about Hallowell Elementary School holding a similar event where parents met with …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (4)

Race to 'Keep Their Memory Going'

Hatboro-Horsham High School seniors organize a 5K run and walk in honor of 2010 grads Edward Coombs and Robert Nagel, who died in a car crash in August.

If Connor Nagel and Jackie DiPietro have their way, the names Robert Nagel and Edward Coombs will remain on the lips of the Horsham area community for many years to come. Connor and Jackie, both seniors at Hatboro-Horsham High School, are organizing the Team EC/RN 5K Run and Walk on Oct. 15 to honor the 2010 graduates who died in a car crash in August. Connor is the younger brother of Robert and Jackie was Coombs’ girlfriend of two years. “Just keeping busy makes it a little easier,” Jackie said of coping with Coombs’ death during a 5K sign-up at Maple Glen Pizza recently. And the teens have definitely been busy. Since they jointly came up with the idea in late August, Connor and Jackie have created and distributed fliers; coordinated with…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Parent Group Becomes Part of the 'Conversation'

The 'Parent Partnership' is part of the district's new anti-substance abuse program.

More than a dozen parents came out to Hatboro-Horsham School Distirict’s first Parent Partnership meeting at the Horsham Library Thursday evening. The meetings are part of the district’s "Be a Part of the Conversation" program that started earlier this year. The goal of the program is to raise awareness about drug and alcohol abuse in the Hatboro and Horsham communities. “Our goal here is to raise awareness and educate parents,” said Kim Rubenstein, who is the parent liaison for the group. “Supportive families are the key to getting someone ahead of abuse.” The Parent Partnership group won’t just tackle the issue of drug and alcohol abuse. “We are going to discuss other risky behaviors, like 'sexting,' ” Rubenstein said.   Discussions that…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

H-H Introduces 'Parent Partnership'

The new group is aimed at supporting families and is an off-shoot of the school district's initiative to bring greater awareness to drug and alcohol abuse.

Hatboro-Horsham School District parents who want to educate themselves about the mental, physical and social-emotional worlds of their children are invited to join the Parent Partnership, a new group that will meet for the first time Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Horsham Township Library. The group, which is being organized by both the district and Rehab After Work, is an off-shoot of the "Be a Part of the Conversation" initiative that began last spring to raise awareness about drug and alcohol abuse in the community. "Parent Partnership" will become a place where parents can share concerns about their children as well as ideas for how to address those issues. Various matters, such as how to talk with kids about drugs and …

• Photos (1)