Pubdate: Wed, 13 Dec 2006
Source: Agassiz Harrison Observer (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Agassiz Observer
Contact:  http://www.agassizharrisonobserver.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1344
Author: Michelle Vandepol

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT DRUGS AT A.E.S.S.

Parents at the A.E.S.S. meeting on drugs found out that, according to 
the students' self-reporting, forty-eight percent of grade ten 
students have experimented with marijuana, considered by many experts 
to be a gateway drug to harder drugs for about 45 percent of users. 
The rest of the grades' statistics were there too. For grade 7, 10 
per cent; grade 8, 14 per cent; grade 9, 16 per cent; grade 11, 35 
per cent; and grade 12, 36 per cent.

Parents and community members who had "concerns about the current 
drug problem at A.E.S.S. or would like information on school policy 
and procedure" were urged to join the school for an information night 
on Wed, Dec 6, 2006.

"We don't want [this problem]," says A.E.S.S. Principal Monique 
Gratrix, "We want our students to be successful." She noted that the 
drug problem, which includes harder drugs as well in a smaller 
percentage of users, affects not only the school, but numerous 
families and communities as well. The school hopes to put in place 
strategies that shape where the students are headed, for the better.

During this school year, A.E.S.S. has only suspended two students for 
drug use/possession, despite an increase in random locker searches. 
This is because of the small quantities kids are carrying that are 
easier for them to hide, says Patsy Graham, vice principal.

She is concerned with the last six months' increase in cocaine use 
among students, a holdover from hard summer partying.

Though she thinks it is now on a slow downward descent, she links 
cocaine use to the emotional mood of some of the students at the school.

There were several tragedies in school in the last year and the 
fall-out from that is that some students have increased their 
experimentation with risky behaviours. She explained to the parents 
that sometimes when kids feel they have no guarantees to live a long 
life even if walking the straight and narrow, they are at larger risk 
of deciding to veer off and go onto a path of bad choices.

Frustration comes for staff with the freedom kids have at lunch.

For many it is a rite of teenage hood, to go about town on a lunch 
break, but for some it is the period in which they drastically turn 
their lives for the worst, meeting up with the drug dealers who prey 
on kids looking for a high. The administration says they know where 
the majority of drug buying is happening and the RCMP liaison officer 
and Ernest Middleton from Community Services have often gone out to 
add adult presence to Agassiz streets in an attempt to deter some 
exchanges. In the past, there was not adequate financial provision 
for the necessary number of noon hour supervisors and that also 
affected lunchtime safety.

The district has recently provided for two more noon hour supervisors.

Currently, A.E.S.S. has a policy of a minimum of three sessions with 
a drug and alcohol counsellor in order to re-enter school after a 
drug use/possession suspension. Parents expressed concern that is not enough.

The school superintendent, Dr. Wes Neumeier, expressed commitment to 
helping students lead healthier lives. "I want to be a partner with 
you in making this happen," he told parents at the meeting.

He explained the policies # 7200 and 7400 on suspensions and student 
involvement with alcohol, intoxicants, or illegal drugs.

After hearing one set of local parents tell their powerful story of 
how crystal meth impacted their family, he committed to going back 
and looking at suspension policies to make them more effective. 
"[Simply] sending suspended kids with serious drug problems home to 
devastated parents is not going to work," he said. He wants the 
school to "intervene efficiently in a successful way."

Parents heard of ways to identify drug use in their kids by looking 
for warning signs such as behavioural changes in peer group and 
activities, grades drop, and increase in secretive activities. Kids 
on drugs are also often plagued by fatigue, a lasting cough, red 
eyes, and a new argumentative nature that leads to violence and 
discipline issues.

Parents can take their kids to a family physician who can determine 
if symptoms are caused by drug use or some other medical condition by 
administering a simple drug test. Marijuana, for example, stays in 
the body for up to four weeks.

Wendy Coleman, A.E.S.S.' drug and alcohol counsellor, agrees with a 
pro-active parental stance on drugs.

We "want parental inclusion," she says.

The school "hopes to come together in consensus" with the community 
as what should be done. Currently, they are increasing vigilance, 
having speakers in to educate the kids on the life changing affects 
of drugs, using care teams to support and keep accountable kids 
caught using, and have made drug and alcohol education curriculum 
available for teachers to integrate into a variety of classroom settings.

"Key is [knowing] how to keep children out of the drug culture," the 
superintendent said. The drug culture is one of belonging and 
availability. Students need to have access to more appealing cultures 
of belonging. "Kids also need to see consistent messages of care from 
adults across the board." That means no to parent and school 
bickering. "When parents and schools fight, kids lose." He maintains 
that, for the budget and according to schools of similar size and 
need, "we have significantly resourced this school." He is aware, he 
says, that the school is still lacking in some respects. "In 
education there are always a surplus of demands." He does not think 
that excuses the board of trustees from going ahead with more work on 
students' behalf. "We have not done a good enough job," he says, 
"Students are still using drugs."

Despite the alarming drug trends currently at work in the school, all 
the experts believe it is something that will be diminished with 
effort. In the meantime, they call for the community to give the 
students "hopefulness." There are lots of students at A.E.S.S. who 
have never experimented with drugs and can be encouraged to stay the 
safe path. Of the kids who have experimented, there are those who 
will not do it again and there are those who can be persuaded to stop 
dabbling in something with dangerous life changing capabilities. Even 
for kids hooked on drugs, we cannot give up hope. With the proper 
intervention, they can recover and go on to lead the kind of lives 
they can be commended for. Even on this journey of making the school 
drug-free, "stand up and be proud of your school," urges the A.E.S.S. 
administration. It is something that will prove to be important to 
the kids who go there.

They need to identify positively with somewhere they are proud to go.

This is the first of a two part series on youth drugs in Agassiz. 
Look for a follow-up article next week on the factors contributing to 
kids using drugs and what the school is doing about it and the 
resources they have available for parents.

It will also feature the RCMP's plan for a drug free zone around 
A.E.S.S. and advice from parents who have travelled down life's road 
with a drug addicted child.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine