DRUG OPERATION GREW OUT OF PARENTS' CONCERN

Concerns about drugs voiced by parents and principals were a driving force
behind an undercover drug operation at high schools in the
Alamance-Burlington system. Those concerns were a key reason he initiated
the operation, Superintendent Jim Merrill said in a statement distributed
at a Wednesday morning press conference. School board members didn't know
in advance about the arrests of dozens of high school students that day.
But Merrill had raised the possibility of asking law enforcement agencies
to help tackle the problem, school board members said.

School board member Todd Baker said Merrill asked him informally and in
general terms for his opinion about bringing in law enforcement at some
point to address drug use. "I said, if it's as great a problem as it says
in the surveys, we need to do it to protect the kids," Baker said.

Board member Tom Manning said he'd also indicated support for using law
enforcement to crack down on the problem. He said he sees the issue as
similar in purpose to the system's anti-bullying initiative in terms of
creating school with few disruptions that prevent learning. "What I hope we
can continue to do is get rid of the noise that keeps teachers from doing
their jobs," Manning said.

Surveys of parents during the 2002-03 school year resulted in some
complaints about drug use on high school campuses. They are listed in a
survey report along with a wide variety of other complaints that include a
lack of funding, teacher salaries being too low, a need for more elective
courses and too many pressures on students.

"Smoking by students is allowed on campus (cigarettes, pot)," one Eastern
Alamance High School parent wrote.

Another Eastern parent said drugs and weapons "are overlooked."

A Williams parent stated: "Drug enforcement should be taken more seriously.
Staff, students and school law enforcement know who and where the offenders
are using it. A few arrests will be the best example to the school's students."

Among parents who responded to the school system's 2003 survey, 7.4 percent
strongly agreed with the statement, "Drug and/or alcohol abuse is not a
serious problem at the school." Thirty-two percent agreed, 32.2 percent
were undecided, 16.4 percent disagreed and 10.7 percent strongly disagreed.

School board members said Thursday they were supportive of Merrill's
actions, and that they were hearing positive comments from parents and
community members. "The comments have been good," said board member Brenda
Brown Foster.

Despite general discussions of the problem with Merrill, board members said
they were as surprised as anyone else at the Wednesday morning
announcement. They described themselves as saddened for the students who
were arrested and for their families, but hopeful that the arrests would be
an effective way to crack down on drugs.

When he found out about the operation's results Wednesday morning, "I was
more or less shocked," Baker said, but completely supportive of the operation.