PRINCIPAL TAKES A COURAGEOUS STAND ON DRUGS

I don't have a dog in the fight, but if I had a ballot, my vote for "most
courageous move by an educator" would go to a person I've never really met,
save for a quick handshake on parent day.

Ron Morrison, principal of Madison Middle School, is my early-ballot
winner. Morrison's name may not ring a bell with you and, shamefully, it
didn't with me either until early December. For purposes of full
disclosure, I have to acknowledge that Morrison is in charge of the school
where two of my kids attend.

That mere fact makes it inexcusable that I didn't know him. Any educator
will tell you that the principal is arguably the most influential person in
charting a school's course.

So I take my licking and move on to why I believe Morrison deserves my vote.

Principal's Memo Unusual

Back in December, when most of us were consumed with buying perfume for
grandma or pajamas for pops, Morrison took decisive action to spotlight an
issue that has more than a few parents in our country in denial.

He sent home a memo informing parents that four boys had been caught in
alleged drug deals on campus earlier in the month. One of my kids casually
dropped the note in front of me at the dinner table and watched my jaw drop.

To say that Morrison's memo was unusually candid would not give the
document justice. To say that I didn't approach the note with a "not here"
attitude would be less than truthful.

I'm sorry to say that more than a few educators would have ducked this
issue and prayed fervent prayers that this little secret stayed within the
walls of the school.

I'm also sorry to say that suburbanites like myself have made teenage drug
and alcohol abuse an inner-city problem when all studies suggest otherwise.
As Morrison noted, the problem is everywhere, in rich and poor communities.

"I hope parents realize that when you're giving your kids money, you'd best
be thinking about where they are spending it and think about what's coming
in the door," he told this newspaper last month.

Note Applies Everywhere

I'm sure there are people in Madison who aren't happy with Morrison's
public stand. I haven't spoken to him about it and I really don't have to.

What they don't realize is that the message of Morrison's memo applies just
as much for Coast school districts as it does for ones in north
Mississippi. It should have been a call for all parents to wake up from
their slumber rather than an opportunity from the "I-told-you-so" crowd to
poke fun at a school that appears to have it all.

In fairness, it's still true that most children at the middle- and
high-school level don't use drugs or alcohol. But some of the ones who are
users don't have a problem trying to lure my kids and yours into the
dead-end lifestyle.

I still can't forget those kids I saw last year during a visit to the
county jail. The pimple-faced offenders looked woefully out of place
dressed in jailhouse orange. The facilitator asked the young offenders why
they were there. Without even a moment of reflection, most answered, "Drugs."

Drugs and the fact that no one cared. No one intervened. No one told them
to stop. No one told them their lives had value.

That's why Morrison gets my vote. For the heat he probably took from people
uncomfortable with the topic. For having the courage to speak up.

For reminding me, a parent, that I have a job to do. He stood up, and by
doing so, he may have saved someone's life.