SCHOOLS SEE DRUG SPIKE

Officials Say Possession by Students Is a Reflection of Community Problem

For the first time in three years Mitchell County leads the
surrounding counties in numbers of controlled substance possession
cases in its schools.

For the 2006-07 school year - a report compiled by the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction - show 20 cases of possession in two
schools: 18 at Mitchell High School and two at Harris Middle School.

Neighboring Yancey County had six incidents that year - two at Cane
River Middle School and four at Mountain Heritage High School - and
Avery County reported seven incidents, all at Avery Middle School.
All counties posted average daily memberships - the seven month
average attendance of students - within 60 students of each other.

The number is a jump for Mitchell County, which posted four incidents
the previous school year and hadn't seen a case of possession at
Harris Middle School since the 2003-04 school year.

Dr. Brock Womble, Mitchell County Public Schools superintendent, said
he is aware of the issue of controlled substances in the schools, but
said it's not indicative of a problem specific to Mitchell county.

"What you have in society is what's going to creep into schools," he
said. "We recognize that drugs are a problem in our schools nationwide."

Womble said that he looked into a voluntary testing policy for the
schools in the past, but that for now the primary focus remains on education.

"We know we have areas that need improvement; I think what we do have
we handle the right way," he said. "I think it's a growing problem in
all schools and we keep looking for ways to educate children about
the risks involved with drugs and alcohol and guns."

Mitchell County Sheriff Ken Fox agreed that schools do not exist in a
vacuum and that what's a problem in society at large affects the schools.

"In the county certain types of drugs, like methamphetamines, are
down so you're not seeing that at the schools."

He said the two biggest drugs with the school-age set are
prescription painkillers and marijuana.

"Marijuana's making a bit of a come back since meth dropped off," he
said, adding that adults on prescription drugs should exercise
vigilance with their pills. "Parents and others need to keep track of
their medication."

Like Womble, Fox said he thinks education is a main part of curbing
substance abuse in the county and the schools.

"We have worked hard to catch the people using and selling - but
that's only half the problem, you need to cut the demand, which you
do through drug education."

To facilitate the education process Fox commissioned a drug
prevention magazine "Let's All Work to Fight Drug Abuse" that will
soon be available at local hospitals, schools, and libraries as part
of a continued education effort.

"You've got to try to educate the people - the children - and that's
a community effort."