DR. WALLACE: Lately, someone has been breaking into student lockers and stealing things. Sometimes I leave expensive things in my locker, and I would be very upset if they were stolen. But if they were, would the school be responsible to reimburse me for my loss? I think they should. Our lockers are outside. — Barb, Anaheim, Calif.

BARB: There are times some readers write, "You don't know what you're talking about," but this time I do! I'm a former high school principal in the Garden Grove School District and I have practical experience on this subject. Since the weather is usually mild in California, student lockers are placed outdoors. This is a cost-saving measure. Even though Garden Grove schools have evening police protection, at times, it is possible for someone to scale the protective fence when classes are not in session and loot lockers.

The school district provides students with a locker that they can use or not use. That is your decision. If students choose to store things in the locker, these students are responsible for all items that wind up missing! Therefore it would behoove you not to place valuables in the locker, especially in light of the fact that someone is breaking into them.

Since all lockers are secured by a combination lock, it would be wise to never give anyone the combination number. If the school administration suspects a student has brought something to school that is against school regulations, a locker can be searched by an administrator without the student's permission. This is a safety measure for the student body and staff. After the search, if it is determined that a law has been broken, the police department is contacted.

TO LEARN, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

DR. WALLACE: Maria was my best friend until a recent incident caused us to end our friendship. Last week, my "friend" brought a bottle of tequila to school, and during lunch, she and another girl drank some of it. After lunch, she asked me to hide the booze in my locker just in case a teacher smelled alcohol on her breath and decided to search her locker.

Then a teacher did smell alcohol on my friend's breath and also on the breath of the other girl. When they searched the girls' lockers and didn't find the alcohol, the vice principal said the girls would be suspended only three days instead of five if they told where they got the tequila. You guessed it; they blamed me! Of course, when my locker was searched the alcohol was found and I was in a heap of trouble.

For helping a friend, I was suspended for five days and my parents put me on restriction for three months, even though they knew that the alcohol wasn't mine. My restriction, they said, was for my stupidity. The reason I'm writing is to warn other teens not to get involved when a friend does something stupid and to choose your friends wisely. I've had to learn the hard way. - Nameless, Grand Rapids, Mich.

NAMELESS: The key is that you learned! Better late than never. Thanks for sharing with your fellow teens.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.