cannabisnews.com: Northwest Forum to Address Drug Use!





Northwest Forum to Address Drug Use!
Posted by FoM on February 04, 1999 at 06:10:27 PT

JUSTIN As the campus resource officer at Northwest High School, Pat LaMaire said he knows that the school district isn't immune to drug problems. 
For almost three years, the Denton County Sheriff's Department deputy has spent his days at the high school, which is attended by about 1,000 students from across Northwest school district's 232 square miles.LaMaire said he has seen students at the high school who have used a variety of substances, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.Tonight parents will hear about drug availability and other issues during the district's first drug awareness program."I'm just going to lay it all out on the table," LaMaire said. "It's very, very important for a community to understand what is happening at their schools."LaMaire and Mark Karaffa of Charter Grapevine Behavioral Health System will speak and answer questions during the program, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m."I don't know if parents think we have a problem, but we do," LaMaire said. "We're just an average school going through the same predicament as every other school."LaMaire said he plans to tell parents how to determine whether their children may be using drugs and what to do if they are.It is important that parents attend the program, said P.J. Preusser, president of Northwest High School's Parent- Teacher-Student Association, which is sponsoring the event. There are 4,800 students in the expansive district that covers three counties."I think a lot of parents are in denial -- the old `not-my- child' type thing," she said. "Unless parents get involved, I have a feeling there's going to be a tragedy."There have been 135 offenses recorded at Northwest High School since August, including arrests and citations, LaMaire said. They range from petty theft to failure to attend school to sexual assault -- all crimes that can be related to drug use, he said.Seven of the 135 incidents were arrests for possession of an illegal drug, LaMaire said. Almost 20 others were related to possession of alcohol or tobacco, he said.Five students have gone to LaMaire in the past year to admit a heroin addiction, he said.If attendance is good tonight, the school district may have other such programs, Preusser said."I hope parents care enough to come to the program and learn what our children are being faced with," she said.Jennifer Radcliffe, (817) 685-3875Educating communityWhat: Northwest school district drug awareness programWhen: 7 p.m. todayWhere: Ninth Grade Center cafetorium, 18700 Texan Drive
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