DRUG ABUSE FOCUS OF MEETINGS

Fliers Distributed On Wurtland School Issue

WURTLAND - Some local parents are up in arms after two Wurtland Middle
School students were suspended last week for alleged drug abuses at
school.

Fliers were rampant in the small Greenup County community Monday, with
both an anonymous parent group and the school system alerting the
public about two meetings on the subject. Parents, who circulated a
notice warning the school is "out of control," were scheduled to meet
Monday evening, while the school district will have another meeting
Wednesday with local school officials and drug prevention counselors.

Though he acknowledged drug abuse is a problem parents and school
officials should take seriously, one law enforcement official said the
problems at Wurtland Middle are no different than other schools.

"It's in every school. It's not just Wurtland Middle School," said
Wurtland Police Chief Philip Piercy, who has a child enrolled at the
school. "... I don't want to say they (local parents) overreacted
because this is something that's very important and needs to be
addressed, but all schools have it."

Piercy said two students were charged last week with public
intoxication, after one student tested positive for PCP, and another
student told school officials he'd taken an illegal drug at school.
The second student did not test positive for drugs, Piercy said.

Both cases are currently pending in Greenup District
Court.

Scarlet Shoemaker, public relations coordinator for the Greenup County
School District, said the students have been suspended from Wurtland
Middle, and will receive on-site drug education courses once they return.

Shoemaker said the student who tested positive for PCP, an eighth
grade male, was reported to school officials by a teacher, who
reported he was acting disoriented and was having trouble following
others' conversations.

This isn't the first drug offense at Wurtland Middle, Shoemaker said,
but this is the first time a student has tested positive for PCP, a
hallucinogenic which has been illegal in the U.S. since the 1960s. She
said school officials have taken immediate steps to help quell anxiety
over the incident and to make sure parents and students are educated
about the dangers and signs of drug abuse.

Such steps include an anonymous "tip box" where students can report
drug abuse, and additional staff has been added to monitor bus duty
and the school restrooms.

"I just hope we can all work together," said Wurtland Middle School
Principal Judy Meadows. "I understand parents' concerns and I hope we
can elicit their support."

Meadows said personnel from the Regional Prevention Center will be on
hand at the school's Wednesday meeting to give instruction on the
warning signs of drug abuse, and any harmful behavior. School
officials also will discuss what's being done to prevent such
occurrences from happening again, Meadows said.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at
Wurtland Middle.

Meanwhile, concerns linger among worried Wurtland parents who prefaced
fliers with the query, "Are you shocked?"

When asked if surprised by the parental reaction, Shoemaker said it
was a mixture of both.

"To an extent yes and to an extent no," she said, adding, "I think
it's important to get accurate information to parents."

As of Monday afternoon, Shoemaker said she didn't know the identity of
the individuals circulating the parent fliers.