MEDFORD FIGHTING DRUG, ALCOHOL USE

MEDFORD - The fuse runs short when alcohol and drug addiction is mentioned
as a problem among young people in this small town located north of Enid
near the Kansas state line. The county seat of Grant County has been rocked
by a spate of news reports concerning teenage drinking, drug arrests and
the consequences of rowdy behavior. Many residents have accused school
administrators and trustees of having an indifferent attitude toward the
problem. Noise intensified in mid-August when Medford High School star
athlete Jason Kilian was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous
substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. "Please don't take
this wrong, but in light of the way our school has been treated by the
media, there is nothing that I want to discuss," said Medford High School
principal Richard Cobb. Some officials and residents have been willing to
discuss it. Some have taken action to address the problem. And many have
recognized the news value about reporting of the Medford incidents and
conflicts. "This is not a Medford problem, this is a national problem," a
reader recently commented about addiction problems as a whole among young
people after Kilian's arraignment was reported Aug. 12 in the Enid News &
Eagle. Regarding Kilian, an agreement currently is being negotiated by
attorney Craig Box of Enid, the young man's legal counselor, and fourth
judicial district prosecutors. "We expect a favorable resolution," Box
said. A court hearing initially set for Tuesday is being rescheduled, Box
said. The defendant's mother, Margaret Kilian, said legal counsel is
working to get the charges dropped. Jason was in the wrong place at the
wrong time. He had arrived at 323 S. 3rd, where one of the defendants
lived, to return a CD when the bust occurred, Margaret Kilian said. A drug
test Kilian submitted to after his arraignment showed negative results for
any traces of drugs in his system. And he's learned from his mistake of
being around unsavory people and locations, she said. Margaret Kilian said
Jason spent a night in Grant County Jail before bail was posted for his
release. "This hasn't been an easy situation," Margaret Kilian said. At the
school level, which has been the target of much wrath, Superintendent Don
Simmons said some changes are imminent. Although it is not official until
the minutes are ratified or approved at the next school board meeting,
school trustees have taken action to drop school sponsorship of senior
trips in the spring beginning the next school year. A group of concerned
Medford parents publicly gathered and discussed in May stories and pictures
they gathered that indicated students were drinking during a senior class
trip to San Antonio. They also presented a photograph of a teacher
participating in a drinking party with students; however, the teacher has
refuted those accusations, saying she was only there to pick up a student
who had called her. They also hired Enid attorney Stephen Jones to exercise
legal options in their frustration over trying to work with school
administrators and trustees. "Not that many schools do it anymore," Simmons
said about school sponsorship of senior trips. "We're living in an
'individual' age," he said, noting student extracurricular activities are
taken in smaller groups with more of a specialized focus. Simmons said he
has worked with Cobb, the high school principal, to rewrite portions of the
student handbook to make it "more understandable" and to encourage students
on more positive approaches to their behavior. Medford teachers are being
trained on how to recognize students with addiction problems and what to do
about it. Simmons said in most if not nearly all the research he has
gathered concerning young people with addiction problems the most important
influence is parents - their examples and how they parent their children.
It's a responsibility the school can't fulfill nor should it, Simmons said.
"We always look to the community.

We are not the community," Simmons said. Jones said Friday nothing new has
developed in his representation of the concerned group of parents.

No filings or requests to the court have been made on behalf of the
parents. Some parents confirmed what Jones learned recently - they have
withdrawn their children from Medford Public Schools and enrolled them
elsewhere. Medford school administrators also have talked with
Preventionworkz, an area resource center in Enid that works to deter drug,
alcohol and tobacco consumption among young people, for help in
establishing programs within the schools, Simmons said. Executive director
Sean Byrne of Preventionworkz said Medford elementary teachers and the
school principal have chosen to include a Life Skills program offered by
the center into their curriculum. The program provides lessons in addiction
prevention. It has a high success ratio if incorporated into curriculums on
a continuing basis, Byrne said. As for the community as a whole, Medford
Ministerial Alliance hosted a seminar in July and invited Preventionworkz
to give a presentation. "We are looking for ways to include what they
(Preventionworkz) offer into our religious programs," said Shane Rackley,
pastor of Nazarene Church. Some training church officials may undergo
includes detecting problems and working with convenience store owners and
clerks where underage people may have purchased alcohol or tobacco, Rackley
said.