WINONA, Minn. – Three teen-age students at Hiawatha Valley Education were sent home with police citations for boozing and drugging. Police were called about 10:25 a.m. for a disturbance involving a 15-year-old boy who had arrived at school and soon was yelling and swearing at staff. It seemed that the boy was under the influence of drugs, police were told. Officers found the boy hiding between cars in the parking lot. He ran. Officers chased and caught him. He was carrying 6.2 grams of marijuana, police said. They also found a. bottle of vodka. His blood was tested for alcohol content. The result: 0.10% — one-fifth more than the law considers impairment. Police then learned that two girls — one 17, the other 16 – had been partying overnight with the boy.
> The 17-year-old girl admitted to marijuana earlier and turned over a nicotine vape pen.
> The 16-year-old girl had bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils and admitted to consuming vodka. Her blood-alcohol level was slightly more than the 0.08% threshold for impairment.
School profile
Hiawatha Valley Education is a state-charted regional school in Winona for students with special needs that their local schools don’t have the expertise to provide. Most are bused, although there also is an outreach staff with teachers commuting to remote locations. The central facility is on Bundy Boulevard in the Far East End industrial area near Homer. Enrollment: 100 students.