Pubdate: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 Source: Advocate, The (LA) Copyright: 2004 The Advocate, Capital City Press Contact: http://www.theadvocate.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2 Author: Heath Druzin SMALL TOWNS NOT FREE OF BIG-CITY PROBLEMS The drug arrest of two sixth-graders at Northeast Elementary School in January caught many people by surprise and are a reminder that problems with drugs and crime extend beyond the city limits. On Jan. 30, a 12-year-old boy was arrested for selling marijuana and an 11-year-old girl suspected of buying drugs from him was arrested for possession of marijuana. Six other sixth-graders admitted to at least handling the drugs and all eight were recommended for expulsion. The amount of pot found -- two small pouches, or dime bags -- was minimal, but that did little to assuage concerned parents of students at the 800-student school in Pride. Added to six bullets found in the suspected dealer's book sack, the arrests should serve as a wake-up call for parents and administrators. Northeast Elementary School is a quiet, tree-lined school a long, winding drive from Baton Rouge. Rural communities such as Pride, far from the noise, traffic and crowds of cities, often seem shielded from big-city issues. Drug abuse and crime are looked at by many as inner-city problems. However, numbers from the most recent national survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that these problems do not disappear with the absence of tall buildings and dense populations. The agency reported statistics for large metropolitan areas, small metro areas, non-metro areas and rural areas. In 2002, the rate of overall illegal drug use among people ages 12 or older in the United States was lower in non-metropolitan areas than in large metropolitan counties, but the difference was small -- 6.6 percent in the rural areas compared to 8.6 percent in the cities. Statistics for alcohol and cigarette use, both linked to increased rates of illicit drug use, are even starker in non-metropolitan regions. Rural areas outpaced every other geographic area in binge drinking rates, with 14.2 percent of those age 12 to 17 saying they had engaged in binge drinking in the past month. In large metropolitan areas the rate was 10.1 percent. The report also found that the rate of cigarette smoking among rural youth is nearly double that of the youth in large metropolitan areas. In addition to the setting, what sticks out about the arrests at Northeast Elementary School is the age of the students involved, as drug use is often portrayed as a problem among high school and college students. Many parents assume that their children might be exposed to drugs in high school, but elementary schools are not often linked to such problems. While Northeast Elementary is unique among parish elementary schools in that it runs through the sixth grade (no others go higher than the fifth grade), the arrests are nonetheless reflective of what federal statistics show: Children can be exposed to drugs before high school. The Department of Health and Human Services study shows that rates of drug use are much higher in high-school-age teens, but that many children are exposed to drugs before they enter high school. While only 4.2 percent of 12- and 13-year-olds in the survey reported using illegal drugs, 26 percent said it would be "fairly easy" to obtain marijuana. John Connelly, spokesman for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, said the arrests have sparked a dialogue among system officials. "In general when we have any event that tests security procedures and safety measures, we have many discussions . re-analyze what we have in place and see if we need to do more," he said. The arrests happened after school administrators were tipped off by a concerned student. Connelly said student cooperation at school is vital to combating drugs. He also urged parents to be watchful at home. "We encourage parents to be additional eyes and ears for us. Ask the questions at home, look in the book sacks, look in the vehicles," he said. Two arrests certainly do not constitute a crisis, but maybe they can serve as a reminder that small towns are not immune from youth drug use. School administrators might also be encouraged to respond publicly to the issue and not decline to comment, as Northeast administrators did. Heath Druzin covers the police beat for The Advocate. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin