Seven members of the South Greene High School baseball team have been suspended from school following a March 18 incident in which they allegedly consumed alcohol aboard the team bus while returning from an out-of-town game.

Dr. Joe Parkins, director of schools, said during a Tuesday telephone interview that two different types of alcohol were allegedly involved in the incident:

* moonshine, and

* an alcoholic beverage called "Sparks."

Sparks, according to the Wikipedia Web site, is one of the first beverages to contain both caffeine and alcohol. "Its active ingredients -- caffeine, taurine, and ginseng -- are common to so-called "energy" drinks, according to Wikipedia. However, Sparks' packaging states the drink has "6-percent alcoholic content by volume," according to the Web site.

Parkins said South Greene Principal Cindy Bowman expelled the seven boys from school, in keeping with school board policy.

Parkins also said he had modified the expulsions of the seven athletes, whose names were not released, to allow them to attend the county school system's "alternative school."

Parkins noted that alcohol offenses are "zero tolerance" offenses under county school board policy. Other zero-tolerance offenses, Parkins said, include drug possession, bringing weapons to school and assaulting school personnel.

Those considered guilty of zero-tolerance offenses, Parkins said, must complete the current semester at the county school system's alternative school on Hal Henard Road and also must attend the alternative school for the first semester of the next school year.

Students who are now seniors would simply end their high school careers at the alternative school, Parkins said.

He noted that seniors assigned to the alternative school normally are not allowed to take part in graduation ceremonies at the high schools they attended before being sent to the alternative schools.

Capt. John Huffine, the Greene County Sheriff's Department's chief detective, said in a separate interview that he understood that the county school system filed charges in Greene County Juvenile Court against two of the seven boys in connection with the incident.

Huffine said the Sheriff's Department does not anticipate filing any charges against any of the boys in connection with the incident.

However, he noted that Det. Sgt. Steve Ratledge has been assigned to investigate how the boys were able to purchase the alcohol-bearing Sparks energy drink at an Asheville Highway convenience store.

Capt. Huffine said a clerk at the convenience store claimed not to remember having sold the Sparks energy drink to the students.

He said investigators plan to consult with the Third Judicial District Attorney General's office to determine if a charge of selling alcohol to minors can be placed if the clerk was unaware that the Sparks drink contained alcohol.

Huffine also said the baseball players claimed the moonshine involved in the incident was obtained in another county.

No charges against any other adults are being considered at this time in connection with the case, Capt. Huffine said.

However, Parkins said the parents of the seven boys are appealing the principal's decision to expel the players from school to the county school system's "disciplinary authority."

Parkins said the disciplinary authority is led by Assistant Director of Schools Judy Phillips and includes one community member and several county school system administrators.

The disciplinary authority, Parkins said, will convene individuals hearings for the seven students.

At the conclusion of the hearings, Parkins said, the authority will either support Principal Bowman's decision to expel the students or overturn that decision.

It was not clear this morning whether any coaches or other adult supervisors were on the bus at the time of the incident.

Greene County schools are on spring break this week and Parkins said it will be next week, at the earliest, before Assistant Director Phillips, who is not working this week, can make arrangements for appeal hearings for the affected students.

Dr. Parkins was out of his office this morning and not available to answer follow-up questions about the incident.

South Greene High Principal Cindy Bowman also could not be reached for comment.