RICHMOND COUNTY SCHOOLS HEAR PLAN TO DETER METH USE

METH could soon be coming to Richmond County schools, and officials
hope this anti-drug campaign gets there before the drug it's named
after does.

At a Richmond County school board committee meeting last week, Pete
Caye -- a representative with the Georgia METH Program who also has
been a fundraising official for the Salvation Army's Kroc Center idea
in Augusta -- said students need to be warned of the dangers of
methamphetamine.

"We're asking you as leaders of the school system to step forward and
get this awareness program before our kids," he said, noting that he'd
like to bring the three-year program to the area not only for
students, but to assist others, too.

Caye said the program's goal is to raise $500,000 for advertising and
start the program in Augusta by March.

He said he wasn't asking the school board for funding but did seek
approval to present to students the program, which includes several
videos that dramatize the results of getting hooked on the drug.

"It's pretty direct stuff," he said of the videos, one of which
depicts two parents who are afraid of their child as he attempts to
break into their home.

Caye told the school board he hopes parents and others hear about the
program and donate money to spread the cause further.

"It's horrible," Caye said of the drug, noting how 90 percent of those
who use it just one time become addicted.

METH officials say a similar program enacted in Montana has proved
successful, with a 2009 study showing first-time meth use in the state
has dropped 63 percent among teens since the program's inception in
2005.

Caye was told the idea would have to first be approved by the Richmond
County school system's Family Dynamics Committee, which would then
forward a recommendation to the school board.

After seeing some of the program's videos, several board members gave
early support for the program last week.

"This is something we've got to get ahead of before it happens," said
board vice president Alex Howard. "Once it starts, it's gone, OK, and
it's going to go fast."

Board member Jimmy Atkins agreed, saying, "This is a very worthwhile
project."

Caye said he also would present the idea to other area counties.