PARENTS LEARN ABOUT SIGNS OF TROUBLE IN TEENAGERS

Parents must be nosy about where their children are and what they're
doing, and parents who notice that their children are hanging out at
the Midway Movie Theatres or the Wawa on Route 1 should be concerned
about their children's activities, Cape Henlopen School District
officials say.

At a Wednesday, March 22 meeting for parents held at the high
school, School Resource Officer Det. Mark Ostroski presented a
handout listing locations where police say they've seen teen
violence and drug activity. Also listed were the Red Mill Inn,
the Anchorage Motel on Route 1 and the Boardwalk during the summer months.

About 35 parents attended the meeting to learn about school safety
and how to spot the signs of drug abuse.

The signs are there, and parents need to be vigilant, said school officials.

Ostroski also said parents should take notice of common household
items that could indicate problems, including

- - Cigars that can be unwrapped and marijuana inserted.

- - Soft drink cans with holes poked into them, which can be used as a
bong for marijuana and crack.

- - Visine, often used to clear up a person's red eyes after they have
smoked marijuana.

- - Cologne or perfume, used to mask the odor of marijuana.

Ostroski said the key to finding out early if your child has a
problem is to be vigilant.

"Check up on them," Ostroski said. "If they say they're going to
someone's house, call their parents and ask if your child is there.
They might be mad at you for a couple of days but it's for a good cause.

Robert Maull, student services coordinator, said staff at the school
district is making the schools safer, but he asks parents to become
more involved.

"We can't do this without you," he told the parents. He asked
parents to alert him to conflicts in the community, or to a student
who appears to be having difficulties.

Some of the parents had questions about the school district's
discipline rules.

Maull said there are three steps in the discipline plan. The first
step is student and teacher conference. The second step is a parent
and teacher conference. He said the third step involves school administrators.

"We are asking our teachers to call home more often," Maull said.
"They are supposed to call home if they are having a problem with your child."

Maull stressed that he wants to hear from parents. "We have a lot of
different people who can help your child," he said.

So far this school year, there have been 29 cases of school
violence. There have been two cases of second-degree assault, 13
cases of third-degree assault, and several cases of disorderly
conduct, Ostroski said.

Looking For Signs

Ostroski said parents need to be nosy.

"You have every right to go into their bedroom and search it," Ostroski said.

Children might be angry at the perceived violation of privacy he
said, but it's important to search everywhere including the back of
the underwear drawer and in boxes at the back of the closet.

Ostroski said he has seen an increase in students abusing
over-the-counter medications such as Coricidin, which has a
dextromethorphan, also known as DMX. Ostroski said that if DMX is
taken in excessive doses, it can produce a high.

He said he has found a number of students who were carrying empty
foil packs of Coricidin.

He said marijuana is still the illegal drug that students seem to be
abusing the most.

Some parents at the meeting said it was good information and it
opened their eyes to the problem of school violence.

"There is definitely an effort to keep the school safe," said parent
Linda Sapienza. "But Mike Ostroski is stretched too thin. One man
cannot take care of 10 schools. He's always talking with kids, but
he needs some assistance. There needs to be more help."

"There is a strong effort here to improve the discipline, but they
don't have enough help to handle the problem," said parent Kim Yost.

"It has to start with the parents," she said. "The school has proven
that they are trying, but look at this parent turnout. I think they
need more help and it needs to start with the parents."

Yost said she would like to see a parent group step forward and
offer help for the school.

If parents have more questions, they can call Maull or Ostroski at 645-7711.