CCHS DRUG TESTING ISSUE HEAVILY DEBATED
Passing of a student policy could still be a year away

Concerned citizens left a recent Cameron County School District (CCSD) policy meeting with the assurance that plans to implement a drug testing policy in the district are underway and are favored by a majority of the board of directors. Members of local law-enforcement, juvenile services and municipal officials were invited to the meeting to give as much input as possible.

After hearing suggestions from several citizens and public officials, board members concluded the meeting on Jan. 3 by noting that a drug testing policy will be adopted but details about when and how it will be handled are still being negotiated. Further discussion will take place during a special policy meeting held on Feb. 13 at 6:30 in the CCHS library. As always, the public is invited to attend. Action may be taken on matters brought before the board on that day.

Max Narby, an Emporium borough council member and retired history teacher of 30 years, suggested that the district put a make-shift policy into effect immediately and iron out the details later.

"I have seen so many wasted youth throughout the years," Narby recalled "Drugs made my life as a teacher more difficult. We not only have a drug problem, we have a drug culture problem."

Narby also made several suggestions about what can be done to combat the community's drug problem.

Among those suggestions was the idea to have religious leaders include in their sermons that using drugs is not only illegal, "it's a sin."

A big supporter of Emporium Borough Police Chief Rufus Jones, Narby suggested that board members utilize input from Jones in their "gameplan."

Chief Jones made several observations and points. While he commended the CCSD for their initiative, he also cautioned them about potential pitfalls.

"We need to educate the parents and the kids that a policy is coming," he explained. "You also need to educate the teachers and staff on what to look for. If you don't warn them that you are forming a policy, then you may find that it gets shot down before it ever leaves the ground."

Jones said that it is easier to start a policy like this if you have the consent of the students, a point that Moate also noted.

Jones suggested also that the district test the staff, faculty and administrators before testing the students.

"Be the example," he remarked. "If the kids see that the teachers are all being tested, then they are less likely to resist being tested themselves. Show them that you're not afraid and that you have nothing to hide."

He confirmed that the local police would assist in integrating a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program into the district to accommodate programs that currently exist. He also made the recommendation that administrators and teachers get more in tune with the students' after-school activities by leaving school grounds.

"Take a walk," Jones started, "After school is out, take a walk and just go a block or two and circle back. I think what you find out will surprise you."

Jones pointed out that by doing that, educators would not only get more of a feel for what their students were doing after school, but they would also be expanding the "barrier of safety" beyond the school property.

Members of the Cameron County Probation office were also in attendance to offer their input.

Chief Probation officer Jan Burkness said that one of the programs that has made a significant impact on kids is called the "Reality Tour." During the tour, photos of participants are taken and manipulated to show them what they will potentially look like if they become habitual drug users.

"It really opens the kids' eyes," she said. "It makes them stop and think."

Burkness as well as Community-based Probation Officer Annie Hnath said that they see the effects of drugs first-hand in dealing with the younger offenders. They observe which drugs are being used and what they are doing to the children mentally, physically and psychologically.

Results from a survey were given to people in attendance that compared the percentages of students in the community to the entire state public school population that use or have used drugs. Results from that survey indicated that CCHS has a higher percentage of high school seniors who have tried alcohol, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, cocaine, crack, heroin, hallucinogens, steroids and other illicit drugs than state averages for the same drugs among twelfth-graders.

Prescription pills are the biggest drug problem in Cameron County.

"Kids are more inclined to experiment with pills, marijuana and tobacco," Chief Jones explained. "They are more available and they are more affordable. Cocaine, crack and meth aren't nearly as problematic because there is limited access. All three of these drugs have really high street values; about $100 per gram and kids generally can't afford to pay that much. Prescription pills are, hands down, the number one problem in the county right now in all age groups."

The proposed policy would only include students involved in extracurricular activities taking place after school hours.

Board member Missy Whitcomb doesn't believe that's the best approach.

"I think we're kind of barking up the wrong tree by testing kids in extra curricular activities," she said.

Hnath agreed that this was fairly accurate, noting that the youth who are on probation for using drugs generally aren't involved in extracurricular activities.

Board president Robert "Speedy" Lininger said that the policy may not be adopted until the beginning of next school year in order to insure that sufficient community input has been received.

"We are trying to get a feel for how to do this," he said. "We want to do it right."