House pages bounced for having pot in dorm

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Eleven high school-age pages in the House of Representatives were dismissed this week after they were caught with marijuana in their Capitol Hill dormitory, two congressional leadership aides said.

The pages were dismissed under a "zero tolerance" policy by the House Page Board, which oversees the page program.

The situation was "handled administratively" and "not handled as a criminal matter," according to a U.S. Capitol Police spokesman.

The 11 pages were all nominated to their positions by Republican members, one aide said.

The nominations are based on merit including grades and recommendations.

Details were sketchy, but aides said problems started for the pages when they went unsupervised to the Washington area home of one of the pages. After they smoked pot there they returned to the dorm with the drugs, the aides said.

A roommate of one of the pages turned them in.

The pages, who attend a special school for them, come from around the country to handle various administrative duties on the House floor and around the Hill.

They wear uniforms consisting of blue blazers and gray flannel pants or skirts.