TRUSTEES REFUTE METH CLAIMS

Crystal meth use among the community's youth is not a dominant
threat, say school trustees and a program director for the Matrix
youth program.

Feathers were ruffled at Wednesday night's school board meeting as
trustees discussed claims by Maple Ridge Mayor Gordy Robson that
"hundreds" of students have been suspended for crystal meth use in
the past year.

School board chair Cheryl Ashlie circulated a paper containing a
section the district's suspension report and a clip from a radio
report Tuesday on News 1130's website which centred around Robson's comments.

The report shows that of the 507 total suspensions among the
district's 6,433 secondary school students, 116 were for drug use.
Ninety-three were for marijuana use, while the remainder were undefined.

Of those suspensions, it does not say how many were repeat offenders.

Robson said he doesn't doubt that a meth-using kid would have pot in
his pocket.

Ashlie said the district has fielded calls from concerned parents and
school principals regarding Robson's claims.

Robson stuck by his comments on Thursday, contending that of those
507 total suspensions, "it's my best guess that half the kids who are
suspended are doing drugs," even those suspended for fighting.

"This is not the first time [Robson] has made some very
unsubstantiated claims against our schools," said trustee Dave Rempel
at the board's meeting. "It's almost a harassment of our system, of
the young people."

Asked if he could validate his claims, Robson said, "do you want to
meet the kids? If you want to meet some, I could introduce you to 30."

He said his second reason for his comments comes from
"vice-principals I've talked to who said at least half the kids they
deal with, they suspect of meth."

Rempel said it's one thing to admit a problem, but another to
fearmonger, saying Robson should apologize or provide solid proof.

"How can it be fearmongering when we're talking about our kids'
lives?" Robson asked. "Give me a break."

He added the district's new Matrix youth program, which works to help
youth struggling with drug issues, "can't handle the number" of youth
with meth problems.

Corrine Arthur of the Matrix program said staff are busy, it's
because they put time into helping individual youths.

She said there's no one drug staff see a dominance from.

"Youth are generally poly substance users," she said.

"A lot of people want to simplify it ... but it's really complicated."

She said there isn't a single youth in Matrix who has overwhelming meth issues.

The program works consistently with about 12 youth, Arthur said, and
provides services to many more. The Matrix program is under the
Substance Misuse Prevention Strategies Task Force, which Ashlie chairs.

Further to Robson's allegations, he said the school board has not
been co-operative for more than a year in allowing his Crystal Meth
Task Force to make presentations in schools about the effects of
crystal meth and ecstasy, as well as how to tell the difference
between the two. He said many young people he talks to say they were
under the impression they were using ecstasy, when it was really meth.

"The Crystal Meth Task Force has never approached the school board in
any formal way to propose this," Ashlie countered on Thursday.

She said the school district is passionate about educating its
children about the effects of drug use, but that it wishes to educate
them on the whole spectrum of substance abuse rather than focus on
one issue in particular.

She said the two biggest problems they see with students are alcohol
and marijuana use.