COKE CLAIMS INVESTIGATED

Public Board Probes City Police Statements

City police claims the cocaine trade has reached local junior high
schools will be investigated by the public school board, which will
combat any scourge, says a trustee.

Lynn Nishimura said yesterday she's surprised by city police drug unit
statements that cocaine has gone from strictly a high school problem
to being sold in junior highs.

And she said the board must take steps to gauge the scope of the
cocaine presence and deal with it.

"We need to find out how effective the activities are (in fighting
drug abuse) and look at further actions needed to be taken," said Nishimura.

"Trustees will want more information on it...you always want to be
taking the appropriate action but not overreact."

The school district's relationships with agencies such as the Alberta
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, local health officials and police
might be reviewed with an eye to dealing with cocaine use, she said.

Needs Attention

"As a school district, we need to take a look at this with our other
partners -- if even one student is affected by this, it's something
that needs to be addressed," she said.

City police say the decline in cocaine's price -- now $80 a gram --
combined with the drug's glamorization, has led to its wider use among
youths.

There's no indication cocaine has found its way into Calgary Catholic
junior high schools, but vigilance is needed, said the district's
chairman Linda Blasetti.

"We have no knowledge of offences occurring in any of our schools and
we would continue to work with police to ensure it's not occurring,"
said Blasetti.

But she admitted a lack of reported incidents doesn't guarantee
Catholic schools are cocaine-free.

"Whenever numbers of students gather, any number of things can occur,"
she said.

"But we have to continue this war against drugs and everybody
(agencies and the public) has to come to the table."

The police report should set off alarm bells among society, said
Colleen Connelly, president of the Calgary Home and School
Association.

"We have to find out what's missing from those children's lives, why
they're turning to drugs at such an early age," she said.

"I think it's a sad comment on the lack of focus we're putting on our
children ... this is definitely a community issue, not just a school
or parent issue."