$70,000-a-year school Obama sends his daughters hit by drug and sex scandal

PUBLISHED: 08:11 EST, 12 September 2012 | UPDATED: 08:11 EST, 12 September 2012

The $70,000-a-year private school the President and First Lady send both their children is embroiled in another scandal after it was revealed drug and alcohol use is rampant among students.

This is not the first time Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC has come under fire - it is currently locked in a $10million court battle over an alleged affair the staff psychologist had with the parent of a student.

A report in the National Enquirer said the Obamas are concerned about daughters Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11, after a report in the school newspaper Horizon revealed that 71 per cent of students admitted attending parties where drugs and alcohol were available.

The official study also reported that 25 per cent of senior boys admitted to drinking under the influence of alcohol.

Parental pride: White House photographer Pete Souza captured this moment last night in the Treaty Room

Elite: The Obamas are concerned about the drug and sex allegations which have been lobbied against Sidwell Friends School that both Malia and Sasha attend

An Obama family insider told the magazine: 'Certainly, the trouble at the school has upset both Barack and Michelle.

'Some friends have suggested the girls be tutored privately at the White House, but the Obamas are keen to have the girls' educational experience be as normal as possible. They don’t want them home-schooled.'

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A former student confirmed rumors to the Enquirer, saying: 'I have seen kids snorting coke, smoking pot, getting high and boozing.

Former student Hugh L. Elsbree was arrested by D.C. police in April for allegedly running a drug lab out of his apartment

'There's huge money at the school and the older kids host parties at their private residences.

'Many of them live in big mansions in Washington, or in affluent suburbs where drugs and booze are common.'

A graduate of the elite school was recently arrested for possession of cocaine and ecstasy with intent to supply, according to published reports.

Hugh L. Elsbree, 31, was arrested by D.C. police in April for running a drug lab out of a luxury apartment complex in the District’s Adams Morgan neighborhood.

When police searched his apartment, where he lives with his fiancee and six-week-old daughter, they found chemicals of an 'inactive Methamphetamine lab', including 304 grams of suspected meth and seven grams of cocaine, the documents said.

Last year, a $10million lawsuit was launched against the elite school after a cuckolded husband claimed its staff psychologist James Huntington had an affair with his wife.

Arthur Newmyer accused the school of 'maliciously' allowing Huntington, who was treating his five-year-old daughter, to sleep with his wife, Tara.

As well as his job helping troubled children, the lawsuit claims Mr Huntington taught sexual education to sixth-graders in 2009/10 - Malia Obama's class.

Controversial: The elite private school in Washington DC charges students $70,000-per year

Smile and wave: Malia, left, and Sasha, right, appear with their parents during the final day of the DNC; it seems the girls number one rule is to be seen and not heard

Huntington has since been fired.

More recently, in May parents of students at the school received a prank email that condoms would be available on campus to limit 'inappropriate sexual behavior'.

The faux email said that students would receive a voucher for their 'contraception of choice' at the prom, sporting events and other school functions.

The source said: 'For all the money the Obamas are spending to send their girls to Sidwell, the school is rife with the same scandals they’d hoped to avoid at a public school.'