WLHS PRINCIPAL: HELP US WITH TEEN DRUG-USE PROBLEM

Lou Bailey, 'tired of whispers' about teen drug and alcohol use, urges
community to stand up, do something

In a message sent to parents last week, West Linn High School
Principal Lou Bailey took a bold stance against drug use in his high
school.

He flat out told the parents of his students: We have a drug and
alcohol problem and, together, we have to try to do something about
it.

While Bailey acknowledged the school's responsibility, he was frank
about the role of parents and the community in solving the problem.

He listed ongoing issues that "neither I, nor the school, can
control," such as adults who host parties where drugs and alcohol are
present or adults who rent houses or condos where their teens can have
parties. And then there are "adults who don't ask, don't want to ask
or don't want to talk about drug and alcohol abuse."

The reality is the problem exists, and the facts are:

* Marijuana is the major drug of choice for teens. Mike Francis, West
Linn Police Department school resource officer, said, "If you want to
buy marijuana, the word on the street is you come to West Linn."

* Prescription drugs such as OxyContin, oxycodone and Vicodin are
quickly gaining popularity. Teens often get these from their parents'
medicine cabinets. At "pharm" parties, teens bring prescription
medications and mix them in a large bowl, then grab handfuls of the
pills to consume with alcohol.

* Heroin is one of the leading drugs in the West Linn community. It is
cheap. Marijuana laced with heroin is highly addictive, and dealers
welcome the repeat customers.

* Drug dealers, from in and out of the community, know where our teens
hang out and know about the community's affluence.

"Last Saturday, Sept. 25, the West Linn Police Department was part of
a nationwide prescription drug take-back program," said WLPD Detective
Sgt. Dave Kempas. "We collected over 100 pounds of prescription drugs
- - lots of heavy-duty narcotics including oxycodone and OxyContin.
Hopefully this will keep some prescriptions out of the hands of teens
and, also, out of our sewer and water systems."

Newly formed community task force

Spearheaded by a parent who has experienced a teen drug scare in her
own household, a community task force has been created. The task force
is composed of representatives from the WLPD, youth pastors, medical
experts from Healthworks NW, mental health experts, the Clackamas
District Attorney's office, the City of West Linn, administrators and
counselors from WLHS, three or four parent advocates and members of
the city's Teen Advisory group.

The goals of the task force are to:

* Maintain a clear and purposeful message of our community's
drug/alcohol issues;

* Create an overt awareness in our community by using a
parent-to-parent process;

* Educate parents on signs of use/abuse, resources available and the
risks and issues of drug/alcohol use and abuse;

* Build a strong partnership with the community and the
school;

* Implement strong school awareness with our staff using a
peer-to-peer process.

The task force plans to meet three to four times throughout the year
and will submit details of projects, action items and information
through an ever-growing Listserv e-mail list.

"We have plans for 'Student-Only Talks' in the Health and Wellness
classes at school on Oct. 15," Bailey said. "Dr. Mendenhall from
Healthworks NW will discuss addiction and answer any questions the
students might have."

No parents are allowed, and questions may be submitted
anonymously.

A similar type of meeting, a "Parent-Only Talk," will be held in
November.

"I intend to have a frank discussion with parents. I'm going to tell
them what is out there, how much it costs, how it is used and how it
is stored," Francis said. "I going to give them clues so they can tell
if their kid is using or not."

The task force plans to set up a Text Tip Line for anyone to
anonymously text in information or questions about drug and alcohol
situations. To get this $1,500 service up and running, the task force
is looking for donations; call Bailey at 503-673-7800.

Even though the community is talking, it is not apparent that the
teenagers are getting the message. At a party this weekend, several
WLHS students were found in violation of the district's training rules
for being at a party where alcohol was present.

In accordance with the athletic/activity training rules, first
offenders "representing the West Linn-Wilsonville School District in
athletics, competitive activities, and/or elected positions are .
suspended from participation for a period of four contest weeks."

"We have applied the regular consequences from our Training Rules . to
the letter," Bailey said.

In quiet rebellion, several upperclassmen were seen carrying red
plastic Solo drinking cups on campus on Monday and Tuesday. It is
rumored that the police saw the offenders drinking from similar red
cups through the window of the weekend party. No MIP's were issued.

Overwhelming response

Since Bailey's letter went out Friday, the reaction from parents and
the community has been overwhelming, he said. More than 300 parents
have enthusiastically responded to the call for help.

"I tried to be open and honest in my letter," Bailey said. "It is time
for open acknowledgement that we have a problem."

"We can't expect it to change overnight," said an involved parent.
"But we need to take this problem seriously and at least try to make a
dent in it. We are already seeing that people are starting to talk to
one another. They are ready."

"There is a silent majority of kids at the high school that just don't
want this stuff around," Francis said. "With Lou's leadership, we are
giving these kids a voice. For kids that are involved (with drug use),
we are helping them find ways to get out of it."

If you have questions or would like to get involved in the task force,
e-mail Lou Bailey at baileyl@wlwv.k12.or.us or call 503-673-7800.