Ronan parents express concern over athletes' fate

RONAN — Frustrated parents and emotional speeches punctuated Monday night's Ronan School Board meeting where several people expressed their concern over recent high school students' suspensions.

Those suspensions center around alleged drinking at a party on New Year's Day weekend in Ronan. Some of the suspended students play for the Chiefs basketball team.

Some of the parents who spoke did not give their names; others were very emotional.

One parent expressed concern over rumors being spread around the school about her child. She was worried that the community would stigmatize those involved for "mistakes we make when we're young."

Others were anxious about teenagers retaliating against their peers who relayed information to school administrators.

"You try comforting a child after they've been bullied at school," said Mardell Smith, grandmother of a Ronan student.

There are less severe suspensions for those who turned themselves in for disciplinary violations, and there was speculation by some of the parents that students were pressured to report themselves.

"Let's wait for the facts before we take any action," said an employee from a local radio station. "The punishment needs to be appropriate."

Superintendent Andy Holmlund and principal Tom Stack had no comment on the suspensions, citing school policy and state law on student privacy. But athletic director Joel Stuber confirmed there were some suspensions because of disciplinary reasons, and that athletes have to sign a training pledge before their season starts.

Holmlund also had no comment on impending teacher suspensions, if any, citing it as a personnel matter.

Lake County Sheriff Bill Barron, Ronan police officer George Finkle, Flathead Tribal police officer Jeff Folsom, and licensed addiction counselor Chris Wright from Lake County Chemical Dependency were all present at the meeting, hoping to improve awareness of alcohol abuse among teenagers.

"How many more kids are going to have to die before we do something about this?" said Finkle.

Though the Ronan Police Department just learned of the alleged party Monday morning, by Tuesday they already had an investigation underway with the assistance of Folsom and school resource officer Bill Witts. Finkle anticipated the investigation will take a week.

The focus of the police search will be for illegalities, Folsom said, noting he would like a zero tolerance policy adopted by the school for problems with alcohol. He asked for parents and students who know about the alleged party to come forward to share the information.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department just wanted law enforcement to be involved in the process.

"This event happened in the city limits of Ronan, and even the Ronan police didn't know what happened until today," said Barron. "Someone needs to be held accountable for furnishing the alcohol."

Some parents alluded to the Jan. 6 freshman girls basketball game against Stevensville that was cancelled last week, but it was not clear if it was a result of the suspensions.