METH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL? PARENTS BEWARE

Hazel Park Middle School in St. Paul has a drug problem that's
probably no worse than most other metro-area middle schools -- or
many other schools in the rest of Minnesota for that matter. But last
week, Hazel Park was in the spotlight after seven students ingested
crystal meth on school grounds and had to be hospitalized.

Given that those involved were juveniles, we might learn little more
about what happened Tuesday. Hopefully, these middle-schoolers will
get the help they need and will be able to return to school, having
learned a hard, valuable lesson.

Meanwhile, parents everywhere should learn a lesson from this event,
too: There's no age too young to begin teaching children to say no.
Even before they understand what drugs are, young kids can be taught
never to accept "medicine" or "stuff" from a classmate or friend.
It's a lesson that now must rate right up there with "Never get in a
stranger's car" and "Look both ways before crossing the street."

That's Parenting 101, and if Mom and Dad fail, their children could
pay the price.