Two Ascencion Solorsano Middle School students were arrested
Tuesday morning after bringing marijuana onto a school bus.
Two Ascencion Solorsano Middle School students were arrested Tuesday morning after bringing marijuana onto a school bus.
During Tuesday’s round of pick-ups, a Gilroy Unified School District bus driver who was filling in for another driver noticed the distinct smell of marijuana wafting through her bus while stopped at a red light. She immediately notified police and school administrators of her suspicions, and they met her bus when it arrived at Gilroy High School – the first school stop of the morning – to search the bus.
Administrators found an unspecified amount of marijuana that one student tried hiding under a bus seat, and two male Solorsano students – a sixth grader and an eighth grader – were arrested, administrators said.
“Is it unusual? Yes. Does it surprise me? No,” Solorsano Principal Sal Tomasello said of marijuana being used at such a young age. “We see it across all grade levels in my experience.”
The two boys are not currently at school, Tomasello said, adding that the school took all the appropriate steps to address the suspicions of the school bus driver.
“She did a great job,” GUSD Transportation Supervisor Annie Sharp said of the observant bus driver. “She did exactly what she was supposed to do. Our goal is to protect all students on the bus.”
Judging by the packaging , it does not appear the drug came from a medical dispensary, Sgt. Daniel Castaneda said. Police are still investigating the incident and working to confirm what type of drug was recovered, he said. On average, police respond to about five to 10 school incidents per week, he said.
