The 16-year-old student arrested earlier this week for possession of drugs at Mount Saint Agnes school has been expelled.

Speaking to yesterday, MSA headmistress Sister Judith Rollo confirmed that the boy had been struck off the school register, along with a recommendation to his parents that he be placed in an educational establishment abroad.

The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested after Sister Rollo invited the Police and their sniffer dogs on to school property on Monday ? a procedure, she said, which is carried out ?three or four times a year?.

?We take a pro-active stance in our approach to drugs in order to provide a safe environment for our students,? she said.

?We operate under a policy of zero tolerance at MSA and we usually find that by asking Police to come to the school periodically, it acts as an effective deterrent.?

Sister Rollo?s suggestion that the boy now be schooled abroad arose out of a concern with the company he has been keeping outside of school hours.

?Substance abuse is usually a symptom of something else going on in a person?s life,? she said.

?Some young people growing up in Bermuda have no dream or hope. We need to provide the means by which they can feel life is worth living. But I want people to understand that this is a problem which needs the support of the entire community. So even though I have removed the boy from the school, I still care about him and am still trying to operate with his best interests at heart.?