BLAME WON'T HELP END TEEN DRUG USE

A couple of letters were printed in reference to Sarah Overstreet's March 18
column, "Unwatched students slip off school grounds, into drug trouble." I
just wanted to say that pointing the finger at teachers was not my intention
at all.

I am not just an adult who is "on the outside looking in." Among other
things, I have driven by on several occasions in the morning and been
able to see the kids who are outside smoking -- not just at Kickapoo,
but other schools that I drive by on my way to work.

The point I was trying to get across by agreeing to the interview is
that parents need to be aware of what's going on at their child's
school. Our daughter never gave us any indication that she was smoking
marijuana, nor did I know that she was leaving school property at any
time.

I hoped that someone would come forward with a solution instead of
turning it into a finger-pointing contest. And the comments that "we
should reserve our schools and teachers' time for those students who
actually come to school to learn" -- just ignoring these kids and
hoping they'll go away is not the solution, either. If you notice
something suspicious, then act on it. I'm not saying teachers have to
"be Barney Fife all day," just notify the office, contact the parents,
police authorities, whatever it takes.

Yes, my daughter knew exactly what choices she made, and she is now
seeing that there are consequences to those choices. However, had I
not stepped in and questioned the school and checked up on her, I
would have never known she was doing anything. My frustration is with
the school system and its failure to enforce policy.

The statement was correct about us using "tough love." Maybe if there
were other parents out there who would step up to the plate and do
what they're supposed to do for their kids, the drug problem wouldn't
be so bad. I'm referring to the "wimpy" parents out there who gave up
on their kids as soon as they reached the age of defiance and
back-talking.

Nobody said it is easy to raise a child, for heaven's sake. My
daughter has put us through a lot of grief over the past couple of
years, but did we give up? No. Parents, let's work together to make
our schools drug-free, all right?

Sonja Myers lives in Springfield