HIGH SCHOOL ASSET

The image of a baton twirling RCMP officer patrolling school hallways is
enough to set any parent on edge.

Perhaps it's because the idea of law enforcement is tied so tightly to
criminal behaviour - as though students must invariably have committed
some wrong to warrant the constable's presence.

But that's not to say hiring a liaison officer for Westlock area schools
is an altogether bad proposition.

Westlock and District Drug Task Force co-chair Diana Hyndman is correct to
note that a liaison officer doesn't police in the traditional sense.

Instead, the job involves the sort of education and interaction beat cops
and investigators don't have the time for; imagine the extent to which
initiatives such as the Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE)
program, which has had something of a sporadic run here in Westlock, might
flourish if given adequate attention.

It's probably true that a lot of parents compare their own high school
experiences to that of their kids. Why wouldn't they? Unless they've made
like Rodney Dangerfield in the 1986 comedy and quite literally gone Back
to School, those years of high school bliss are likely still top of mind.

But schools in general have changed. Consider the cell phone. It's as much
of an accessory today as a pencil case was in 1992.

The point isn't to lament or even slow the pace of change, because there
are just as many aspects of school life that have remained constant in
spite of it.

Social awkwardness and its wing mate peer pressure have been around since
kids first congregated to learn their ABCs. Some of it may have migrated
online, but for a kid desperate to fit in the consequences are no
different.

There are kids at school who naturally fall in with the "wrong" crowd.
There are those who try that route for a bit - encounter cigarettes,
alcohol, maybe drugs - get bored, and move on. Too often, however, kids
who follow that path stay there without ever quite understanding how or
why.

Having an RCMP officer as a sounding board, even a buddy, might mean fewer
students fall through the cracks. It might also help bring a few back.