PARENT UPSET WITH SCHOOL DIVISION RESPONSE TO DRUGS

An Altona Parent Told Trustees He Was Frustrated With W. C. Miller`S
Response To His Son`S Drug Use

A parent told the Border Land School Division board that after he
found marijuana in his son's room, he requested that staff at W.C.
Miller search the youth's locker where more was found. Police were
called and the youth was suspended from school for five days. The
parent was assured that as part of the process, his son would receive
counseling at the school, but two weeks after his son returned to
school, there still hadn't been any mention of it. "I was surprised
that there is no program in place in school for marijuana use. We
took action. I had my son charged with possession and also let him
know I contacted the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba (AFM). I'm
determined my son won't become another victim."

He said he was shocked when he heard how prevalent drugs are. He
appealed to the board to take a more proactive approach to awareness
and discipline. "I still have two more kids who have to pass through
that school. I consider my son at risk and the majority of the
students at Miller at risk."

He told the board that as elected trustees, it was their
responsibility to address issues like this. W.C. Miller principal
Jonathan Toews said safety is a number one priority at the school.
And as important as that safety is, Toews said they still operate on
a trust basis at Miller. "We don't come to the school every day
expecting to find drugs," he said.

However, he did admit they are becoming more aware of drugs at the
school. "The school is a mirror of the community at large. If there
are more drugs in the community, it also becomes evident in the
school. And if you talk to the police, they'll tell you they're
noticing more in the community, especially marijuana."

When drugs are suspected, he said they will search the backpack and
locker. Finding drugs results in an automatic suspension, with the
maximum being five days. Anything longer must be handled by the
board, which can extend the suspension up to six weeks. Toews said
the student in question was promised counseling and it was on the way
at the time of his complaint. "But schools can be slow moving
systems. We can be in the middle of something and many factors can
come into play. But if a parent has a sense of urgency, then yes,
absolutely, the school needs to be responsive."

Toews said that while suspension may not necessarily be the most
effective means of discipline, it does send the message that there is
no room for that kind of behaviour in school. "Miller is a safe
school and we do take these matters very seriously," he said.

BLSD superintendent Tim Mendel said they committed to counseling and
admitted things should have moved quicker. "I think the school did
take it seriously and was in the process of dealing with it when all
this came up. We're always glad when a parent speaks out. I
understand his anger and frustration - he cares about his kid, as do we all."

But Mendel said he didn't think it should have been put in the public
eye both for the sake of the unnamed student and the reputation of
the school. "My concern is for the way it was handled, especially for
the student's sake. It was somewhat unfair to slam the school in such
a public way."

The student is now receiving counseling. Mendel says the division is
doing its best to combat drugs. "We have Drug Awareness Week. We have
implemented drug dogs at all the high schools, and we are now hearing
we should have them at Parkside as well."

Mendel said providing a safety officer isn't possible at this time.
But the board is considering holding a community awareness meeting
with the town police, the AFM and Teen Challenge.

Mendel says too often, the schools are expected to pick up where
other agencies fail. "I won't say that this was the case here, but
often when the home fails to address the problem, it falls on the
school to provide it. I consider Miller a caring safe school with a
good administrative team," he added. "Do we always do stuff perfectly
and as timely as people would like us to? No. Are there times that we
drop the ball? Yeah. But I think what needs to be done is a more
concerted effort by all the parties involved: the schools, the
parents and the community." The parent met with Mendel since his
initial presentation and was happy with the response. "I will
definitely continue to communicate with Tim," he said. "And as a
result, I'm confident we will get a program in place. I'm happy with
where it's going now."