6 AGOURA STUDENTS WON'T BE EXPELLED.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer

Six Agoura High School students who faced expulsion for allegedly getting caught with drugs, alcohol and a stun gun at the homecoming dance were given a second chance by the Las Virgenes school board this week.

The students, boys and girls all under 18 years old, could have been expelled permanently after they were cited by campus security guards at the dance last month.

Instead the six agreed to have their expulsions suspended in exchange for completing a new six-week rehabilitation program. Students who complete the program are subject to random urinalysis tests through the end of high school, said Larry Misel, principal of Agoura High School.

Unlike similar athletic tests, the results go directly to school officials.

``The expectation is that you better have learned your lesson,'' he said. ``There are some real consequences for being involved.''

The students also may face criminal charges unrelated to the school action, said Deputy Todd Kocisko of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Since the start of the school year, eight students, including the six from the homecoming dance, have qualified for the STEPS program, said Fred Williams, assistant principal. So far just one student has completed the program.

Last year the school had a half-dozen suspensions for alcohol and about 10 for drug use, officials said.

Kocisko said the incident occurred Nov. 7 when a limousine arrived at Agoura High School's homecoming dance and campus security officers gave it a routine search.

Inside officers found beer containers, marijuana and nitrous oxide, Kocisko said.

All of the students were cited on suspicion of possession of alcohol. One student was cited on suspicion of possession of nitrous oxide with the intent to inhale and possession of marijuana. A second was cited on suspicion of possession of marijuana, and a third was cited on suspicion of possession of a stun gun, Kocisko said.

The six Agoura High School students lost their eligibility to participate in school clubs or athletics for the remainder of the year, Misel said. They also received automatic five-day suspensions and were subject to expulsion.

At its Tuesday meeting, the school board voted to suspend the expulsions and instead let the students participate in the Success Through Education, Perseverance and Support, or STEPS, program now in its first year at the high school.

The six once-a-week sessions in the STEPS program provide students with counseling and education about drugs and alcohol, Misel said.

Students receive education and counseling on topics such as recognizing dependency, values and problem solving, said Dottie Berntson, a counselor who works with parents in the STEPS program. Students also must attend six meetings of a 12-step program, Berntson said.

For their part, parents must attend four STEPS sessions, at which they discuss topics like anger management, communication, recognizing at-risk behaviors and parenting styles, Berntson said. Parents receive information about support and resources they can use once they finish the STEPS classes.

``You want to heighten awareness,'' she said. ``It's a reality check. . . . Four sessions with a parenting group is not going to be a solution.''

The Agoura program, started by former assistant principal Susan Allen, is similar to Spirit Alive, a rehabilitation program at Calabasas High School, now in its third year.

``Essentially they're both safety-net-type of programs,'' Misel said.

Students learn that if they use illegal substances, their decision will have profound affects up through graduation, he said.

Before the STEPS program, students caught with drugs or alcohol could receive suspensions of two to five days, Misel said.

``Now we take all of this extremely seriously,'' he said.