SAYING NO TO DRUGS, BACKWARDS

Kids at Leona Cox Elementary School wore their clothes backward to
school on Thursday to show that they were "turning their backs on drugs."

With shirts turned around, size tags tickled the chins of students
and the hoods of big sweatshirts bobbed into the faces of children as they ran.

The message was clear: These students supported efforts to stay away
from drugs.

"Your family might tell you to do drugs and you're scared," said
Andrew Romo, 10. "You might find teenagers on the football field, but
you shouldn't do drugs. You should just say no."

He and his friends around him were adamant - drugs are bad for you, they said.

In early elementary school, drug use is relatively low, school officials said.

At Leona Cox Elementary School, there was not a single teacher
interviewed that knew of any student that smoked cigarettes, drank
alcohol or had experimented with drugs.

"I don't think they've had contact with drugs yet," sixth-grade
teacher Juliana Sheldon said, but added that junior high school is
where they'll be tested.

By the time students reach junior high and high school, many have
experimented with drugs and alcohol.

Data from the William S. Hart Union High School District showed that
the number of students suspended or expelled from school because of
drug possession is fairly equal with those found with dangerous
weapons, with more than 50 students expelled in 2005 because they
possessed banned drugs or related materials.

But it's prevention and giving kids the skills to say no to drugs,
tobacco and alcohol that are the reasons every school in the Santa
Clarita Valley and most schools in the nation dedicate time for Red
Ribbon Week.

"It's good because it brings up a topic they normally wouldn't
discuss at home," Leona Cox assistant principal Shelly Brower said.
"They need to know from a very young age."

In fact, kids have addressed smoking with relatives that smoke or
drink as well, something that is often a sensitive issue.

Amanda Phillips, 11, said her mom smokes.

"I'm not happy about that," she said, and pointed out that she'll never smoke.

So, for Thursday, she wore her pink shirt backward, and the
drawstring on her pants wagged like a tail.