SCHOOL OFFICIALS DISCUSS DRUG USE WITH HICKMAN STUDENTS

When considering the issue of drug use in public schools, it can be
difficult to separate fact from fiction.

"What is the perception, and what is the reality?" said Lynn
Barnett, assistant superintendent for student support services and
head of the Columbia Public School District's substance abuse task force.

To help answer that question, Barnett and Karla DeSpain, school
board president, talked with students at Hickman High School on
Wednesday morning. DeSpain contacted George Frissell, chairman of
Hickman's language arts department, after reading an article in the
Missourian about a debate his students had on drug testing in
schools. The students had discussed the decision by the Francis
Howell School District in suburban St. Louis to institute mandatory
drug testing for students involved in athletics and
extracurricular activities.

On Wednesday, Barnett and DeSpain asked the students for their
perspective on drug abuse and possible remedies to what they say is
a problem. After meeting with three sections of Frissell's classical
ideas and world religions class, Barnett said she heard some recurrent themes.

"I think they're saying the same thing," she said. "'Drugs are
mostly being used over the weekend.' They don't perceive it as a problem."

The student perception of drug use in school is different from the
image some parents have, DeSpain said. "From the parent perspective,
there's a car in the (school) parking lot where you can get drugs."

DeSpain noted there was consensus among the students that
suspensions don't deter drug use or abuse.

When Barnett proposed closed lunch -- meaning students would have to
stay on campus during the break -- students were quick to oppose the
idea with "no's" and "boo's." Some said the short lunch period,
about 30 minutes, effectively prevents drug use, and others
said the police keep watch in the school neighborhood.

Barnett and DeSpain said they were pleased with the opportunity to
talk with the students about the issue.

"It gives me so much respect for our students," Barnett said after
the classes.

"They want to have input," added DeSpain, who has two teenagers, one
of whom is a sophomore at Hickman. "They liked being asked."

The task force, made up of about 50 parents,
teachers, administrators and law enforcement officials, will
meet through January, with the goal of drafting a plan to remove
drugs from public schools. The school board will have a workshop
Oct. 19 to look at current drug policies.