FAIR LAWN SCHOOLS FORM DRUG TASK FORCE

Educators who decided in April to make public the findings of a district
wide drug survey are busy enlisting students, parents, and community
members in efforts to curb substance abuse.

The district has formed a task force that will explore prevention,
intervention, and law enforcement tools to keep kids off drugs. The effort
began after a survey of public school students in Grades 4 through 12 found
that many young people in Fair Lawn, like their counterparts nationwide,
are using or have tried alcohol and drugs.

After learning that 18 percent of Fair Lawn's fourth-grade students have
tried alcohol, 1 percent cigarettes, and 6 percent inhalants, school
district leaders decided they must go beyond merely telling kids to "just
say no."

"This is a problem attacking all of society, and you cannot solve it with
schools alone, parents alone, or law enforcement alone," said Matt Markman,
high school student assistance counselor. "You need the whole community
involved."

Markman asked senior James Laudicina to join the task force's drug
intervention committee. The committee's goal is to teach parents about the
warning signs of substance abuse and to see that anyone who needs treatment
for addiction gets help.

"Our first goal is to get local businesses to contribute so we can create a
fund for people who have to go through drug rehab," said Laudicina, 17.
"Most insurance companies won't pay for it, and it costs a lot."

Laudicina said he'll be happy to knock on doors for donations. His desire
to join the task force was fueled in part by the recent death of classmate
Stephen Ciolino Jr.

The 17-year-old was killed after a sport-utility vehicle he was a passenger
in crashed while going about 70 mph on Plaza Road. The driver had used
cocaine moments before the wreck, officials said.

"This is important because I just don't want to go to another funeral this
year -- or ever, for that matter," Laudicina said. "The message to everyone
is, 'Don't let Steve die in vain.' "

Law enforcement officials would not identify the driver because she is a
juvenile. But in the days after the accident, educators and classmates
identified her as Rebecca Foy, 17. She has been charged by the Bergen
County Prosecutor's Office with death by auto, possession of cocaine,
driving while intoxicated, and other crimes.

"There's no question, something like that is an eye-opener for the entire
community," Schools Superintendent Robert Byrne said. "It galvanizes the
attention of everyone. But at a certain point we have to put it behind us,
and look forward to the future."

Making sure that the task force has well-defined objectives for years to
come is one way to do that, he said. That's why he is asking members of the
Fair Lawn Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, local government, law
enforcement, and mental health agencies to join the task force.

"We all need to be involved," said Vicki Lent, who as the mother of two
high school students has signed on to chair the task force's parent
awareness committee. "Parents need to be as streetwise as the kids are.
We're trying to get those who normally don't come out to join, because we
all need to wake up to these things."

Anonymous results of the American Drug and Alcohol Survey, which has been
used in other North Jersey school districts, were compiled by the Rocky
Mountain Behavioral Science Institute in Colorado. It asked about types of
substances students have tried, the perceived availability of drugs, and
where students use alcohol and drugs.

In addition to the news about fourth-graders, the survey showed that
alcohol had been tried by 35 percent of sixth-graders and cigarettes by 7
percent. None reported using marijuana. Among seventh-graders surveyed, 42
percent had tried alcohol, 2 percent had tried marijuana, and 22 percent
had tried cigarettes. Some 59 percent of the students in eighth grade had
used alcohol, 11 percent had smoked marijuana, and 35 percent had tried
cigarettes.