Middle school students cited, suspended over Jell-O shots incident

Five students were recently suspended and charged with being  minors in possession of alcohol for allegedly drinking Jell-O shots at Kalispell Middle School, according to a letter sent to parents by school officials on Wednesday.

In the letter, Principal Barry Grace confirmed the incident, which had been rumored among parents, including one who contacted him directly.

“The alcohol came to school in the form of Jell-O shots as well as mixed with another drink in two liquid containers,” Grace wrote. “The substance and drink was shared around and we were alerted to these incidents and responded.”

Administrators questioned students and verified what was going on, alerted a school resource officer and proceeded with punishment. A police dog also was brought in the next day to search the school and students’ lockers. Grace did not say whether the search turned up anything else.

According to School Resource Officer Jason Parce with the Kalispell Police Department, the students, all ages 13 or 14,  were charged in Flathead Youth Court for the Jan. 12 incident.

A member of the school staff was notified of the Jell-O shots during lunch period and found students acting impaired. They notified school administrators, who then contacted police.

That was one of four recent incidents involving students and alcohol or drugs, according to Parce.

During the first week of January, three students at Glacier High School, all ages 14 and 15, were cited for being minors in possession of alcohol after bringing vodka to the school and distributing it.

On Jan. 13, three juveniles were caught using marijuana at a Glacier High School basketball game. One of them was arrested for possession of drugs and of drug paraphernalia.

The next night, during a Glacier High School dance, Parce located two 14-year-old girls sitting in someone else’s truck drinking Black Velvet Canadian whisky and acting “highly impaired.”

“In all of these incidents, the alcohol was obtained — according to the kids — from the home or from other adults and friends purchasing it for them,” Parce said.

He explained that catching students who bring drugs and alcohol to school is a cooperative effort between the schools and the police, and noted that people have been very vigilant. That includes some students who have helped point out other students who appear to be under the influence.