Bay District Schools hold assemblies to warn students of the dangers of making wrong decisions.

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - School threats, incidents of fighting and many other issues have happened already at Bay District Schools since the start of the school year.

“We have young people making bad choices. Middle and high school students are in this time of life, there is a lot of peer pressure that is from a lot of outside influences,” said Mark McQueen, school superintendent.

District officials are hoping to deter students from making wrong decisions. They’re holding assemblies in schools across the district to discuss topics ranging from how to stay on the right path, to what happens if you bring drugs or guns to school or make a threat.

“When we work threat cases, we don’t have the luxury of which one is actually going to cause harm at a school, who’s having a bad day, who says they’re just kidding,” said Tommy Ford, Bay County sheriff.

School district and sheriff’s officials say they have a zero tolerance for students bringing or engaging in illegal activity on campus. Superintendent McQueen tells us he has already expelled two students this school year and he is looking at 4 more.

“It gives me no joy to expel students from the district. I want all of students to succeed but there are consequences to decisions we want students to understand,” said McQueen.

McQueen says it’s all about educating students and pointing them in the right direction.

“We want to help them make the right choices,” said McQueen.

Breakfast Point Academy’s principal tells us these assemblies are effective for their students.

“The more opportunities we can have for our students to hear from others as well is more important to us so we can all stress that with one message together,” said Clint Whitfield, principal.

Making sure students are staying on the right track to be successful.

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