Schools continue
war against drugs
By josh davidson
Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — Due to recent events, including the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism, the Middletown school district is focusing its security force on terrorist alerts instead of drug problems in the schools.

"We’re very concerned about security in the schools right now, and that’s taken over as top priority," said Board of Education member N. Britt Raynor. "We haven’t forgotten about the drug situation, and we are very cognizant that it exists. Our eyes and ears are open all the time."

Drug-sniffing dogs were sent into the schools in December but haven’t been sent back since, Raynor said.

The dogs will be used again randomly, he added.

The district is collaborating with the Middletown Municipal Alliance to develop after-school programs, according to George Obermeier, the district’s drug education consultant.

The district surveyed its eighth-grade students to get a better idea of its drug situation, he said.

The questionnaire was created by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and will help officials decide on the most appropriate programs, Obermeier said.

The study found that the top three reasons students stay away from drugs are their parents, the law and fear of physical harm or death.

A program that already exists is the Bottlecappers, a group of high school students who talk to younger ones about the dangers of substance abuse.

The number of freshmen using the program this year has tripled from previous years, Obermeier said.

Other programs are for district athletes and parents.

Students are the key to solving the drug problem, Raynor said.

"I think it’s the students themselves being aware that drugs kill (that is important)," he said.

Students should be caring enough to report one another’s drug use, Raynor said.

All information reported by students regarding drug users will be kept confidential, he said.

"To me, it’s not ratting; it’s saving lives," he said. "Take action; be aware of what’s going on."

Efforts to improve the situation include discussion with district administrators and teachers on how to get the district’s anti-drug message across, he said.

"And we’re trying to reach out to parents, to make them aware that dialogue is going to have to take place at the home," Raynor said.

The district’s drug problem has improved slightly and might have improved since the incidents of 9/11 because residents are more aware of what’s going on around them, he said.

"Especially with the health and safety of the people that they love," Raynor said.

From time to time, board members receive information regarding Monmouth Country’s successful drug programs, he said. Board members can use those examples to see what programs best fit the Middletown school district.

"I think everyone would admit it’s (drugs) in every school district in the nation," Raynor said. "It’s just a matter of at what degree for each student. It can go from free-basing to just smoking a joint once in a while."

Educating students about the dangers of illegal drug use is essential, he added.

"I think it’s very important, and the more they are aware of it, the better off they are," he said. "You know teenagers; they think they’re immune to everything."

Tragedies such as the death of Middletown High School South senior Geoffrey Edwards last year may have awoken some students to the dangers of illegal drug use, he said.

Edwards died of a heroin overdose in May 2002 at the age of 18, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

"Right now, we’re probably doing more than most districts based on what we’ve been through," Obermeier said. "Sometimes it takes a tragedy to mobilize a community. But that’s everywhere.

"I think the myth has been dispelled that heroin is no longer a danger," he said. "Particularly in this district, awareness has come up based on the tragedies that have happened."

Teaching children about the dangers of drugs early is important, Obermeier said, noting that some begin experimenting in elementary school.

One important deterrent is building student’s resiliency skills early on, he noted.

This means building self-esteem and teaching them how to deal with stress and turn down drugs, he explained.

"By the time they get to high school, the No. 1 reason kids drink alcohol is stress," he said.

Police have cracked down on drug use in area clubs, but drug use has moved into house parties, Obermeier said.