SOUTH COUNTY : 6 Students Expelled for Gun Incidents

Six students in two South County school districts have been expelled from their high schools for being involved in three recent gun-related incidents, officials announced this week.

Five of the students attended schools in the Capistrano Unified district, and one was from the Saddleback Valley Unified district. The five students expelled from Capistrano Unified--two from San Clemente High School and three from Capistrano Valley High--will not be allowed to return to their schools for the remainder of the school year.

The gun incidents in Capistrano Unified took place within a day of each other, leading to the first expulsion of students in at least 20 years, said district spokeswoman Jacqueline Price.

On Dec. 5, two freshmen girls were arrested at San Clemente High for possessing a small-caliber pistol. The girls and a 16-year-old boy, who district officials suspected was also involved in the incident, were immediately suspended. The boy was not recommended for expulsion because he did not handle the gun, Price said.

A day later, two 10th-graders were arrested at Capistrano Valley High on suspicion of taking part in two drive-by shootings at a home in an upscale neighborhood in the planned community of Rancho Santa Margarita.

One of the students had brought the loaded pistol to school, where he was arrested. Two female classmates who allegedly kept the gun in their possession were also suspended.

“I think the safety of the students on our campuses is our No. 1 priority,” said Crystal Kochendorfer, president of the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees, explaining the board’s approval of the expulsions. “It’s such a severe infraction of our rules. The board has to react with severe measures.”

The Saddleback Valley incident took place on Oct. 9 at Laguna Hills High School. A student, distraught over problems with his girlfriend, brought a gun to campus, where it was discovered by school officials. The youth was then arrested by the sheriff’s deputies, said James Hamilton, director of pupil services.

The student was suspended immediately after the incident and was expelled for 180 days by the school board on Tuesday .