DRUG SCHOOL? THAT'S NOT US, LINCOLN SAYS

Portland - Two Students' Arrests After A Fatal Cocaine Deal Stun A
Campus That Fears Being Mislabeled

Lincoln High School is not a drug den where rich kids routinely deal
cocaine. Nor is it a place where high test scores and affluence
shield students and families from the devastating consequences of drugs.

That was the message that students and Principal Peyton Chapman
wanted to send Monday, as the school grappled with the fallout from
last week's guilty pleas by two students to drug charges related to
the August death of 19-year-old Lincoln graduate Kraig Crow.

Senior Sam Schwab was one of several students who expressed surprise
that hard drugs were involved. They acknowledged that alcohol and
marijuana use is fairly prevalent among students.

"But cocaine? I have never even seen it before," Schwab said. "It's
just not part of the Lincoln mentality. I think a false perception is
being painted of our school."

Many students were shocked by details of a deal, which Chapman
likened to "a pyramid scheme." Crow died on his 19th birthday after
ingesting a large amount of cocaine, which he obtained from one of
the two students who were charged. They were among five who pleaded
guilty last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court to various drug
charges in the case.

Police say a sixth suspect, a 31-year-old Sherwood man, is considered
the higher-end drug supplier. He pleaded not guilty to federal
cocaine distribution charges this month.

In a letter to school officials Friday, Multnomah County District
Attorney Michael Schrunk said the investigation into Crow's death
"did raise disturbing questions about the level of drug activity" at
the school.

"We are not denying that we have a problem," the principal said, "but
not more than at every other school."

For Chapman, in her first year at Lincoln, the news was a wake-up
call about the shared responsibility of tackling drug problems.
Learning that most of the events happened off campus via cell phones
and text messages drove home the need to involve parents, police,
social service agencies -- the whole community.

"With text-messages, cell phones, IM'ing (instant-messaging), no one
knows" what teens are really doing, she said. "In the past, if 20
phone calls came to my house in the middle of the night, I would know
that something was going on with my child."

Lincoln, one of Oregon's most elite public high schools, draws from
well-heeled communities such as the West Hills. It's known for high
levels of academic achievement and parental involvement. In short,
not a school whose students fit the stereotypes of drug dealers.

"There is no profile. All students are at risk," Chapman said. "We
have to realize if it can happen to someone else's child, it can
happen to our child."

The charges against Lincoln students Edmund Coutan, a promising
violinist about to go to college on a scholarship, and Alexander Di
Franco were a secondary blow to a campus still grieving Crow's death.

"We don't want to see anyone's life ruined by one mistake," Chapman
said. "These are the same kids who ran the toy drive and collected
stuffed animals."

Last week's developments also cast a pall over Saturday's senior
prom, which Coutan attended, said Danielle Dyer, a junior. Coutan
begins his one-year sentence after graduation.

Chapman said she did not bar anyone from attending the prom because
no disciplinary action related to school policies had been taken.

"He did that for his girlfriend," Dyer said. "He wanted to be there
for her. It took a lot of guts to do that."

Many students said Monday that their hearts went out to Coutan, who
all year had clearly been suffering from his friend Crow's death and
rumors that he was involved in it.

Chapman said she has talked to parent groups, Outside In (a social
service agency) and school police about how they can better identify
and respond to issues that happen off campus.

The Lincoln community tends toward progressive, liberal families who
want to give their children freedom, she said. In turn, their
high-achieving children may not manifest the signs of drug use as
readily -- such as falling grades or anti-social behavior.

"We have somehow allowed our concern for children's privacy to create
adult-less spaces," Chapman said.

Chapman said she hopes that parents, friends and neighbors now
realize they have a responsibility to confront drug problems before
it's too late.

Recently, she said, her 2-year-old daughter ran into the street and
three of her neighbors called to tell her. "Why don't neighbors call
when a 14-year-old is in danger?"

Ultimately, students say, they feel the losses on a human level. Lily
Frederickson, a senior, said she couldn't help but view the events as
a tragedy: two friends, one dead and another promising life
irreparably changed.

"Kraig (Crow), if he could look back and see this, what this has done
to his family, his friends, and now his good friend Edmund (Coutan),
he would definitely be hurt."