A JOLT OF REALITY

Any parent who puts blind faith in the decisions of their children,
especially ones not even in high school yet, is na(ve.

Case in point is the recent incident at Tilbury Area Public School
where three kids were charged with various drug offences for the
alleged possession of marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs.

These were Grade 8 students; not even in high school yet.
Unfortunately, it's not overly surprising to see a Grade 8 kid nailed
for the possession of marijuana, but to tack cocaine and prescription
drugs onto this is a sobering thought for parents.

According to a school newsletter, five students had gone to a nearby
park during a nutrition break at the school and "engaged in
inappropriate behaviour." As a result, two kids were charged and five
students in total received suspensions.

Police charged another student in a separate incident.

In order for students to leave the elementary school during a
nutrition break, they must have parental approval. Tilbury principal
Ken Gregory urges parents to not allow their kids to leave school
during the two nutrition breaks. It makes sense.

"When they stay at school, they are under our supervision and we know
they are being looked after," the principal said.

If students have parental approval to leave during the breaks, there
is no guarantee they are heading home for lunch. They could instead
be going elsewhere, such as a park, away from adult supervision.
Gregory said the five kids involved in the incident had parental
approval to leave the school during breaks. They don't anymore.

By and large, parents are very proud of their children and pretty
trusting. Hence the naivety. We may not see all the people our
children hang out with at school, and therefore may not see all the
influences on them. Or if we aren't deeply involved with their
day-to-day lives, we won't be focused on our children's actions and
interactions.

A simple refusal to allow children off site during school hours may
very well not prevent them from getting into trouble. Even hands-on,
dedicated parenting is no guarantee your children will turn out as you hope.

But such guidance will surely help.

We feel for the parents of the involved children, as well as for the
kids themselves. If guilty, perhaps this will serve as a wake-up call
for everyone involved, and will become the one bad decision made by
these kids as they grow up.

It should certainly serve as a jolt of reality to every parent in Chatham-Kent.