OFFICIAL: MORE KIDS WILL REPORT DRUG USE

Two recent incidents in which children notified school authorities of their
parents' drug use are likely to occur more frequently in the future, said
one Johnson County law-enforcement official.

"It will come again," said Dave Henderson, a detective captain in the
Johnson County Sheriff's Office. "There will be kids who say, 'I don't want
to, I can't tolerate this in my home anymore.' It's just a matter of time."

In two separate occasions within the last three months, children either
brought in drugs or reported their parents' drug use to school officials.
Administrators say the episodes are "isolated" and "highly unusual," but
Henderson said he's surprised occurrences such as these aren't more common.

"It's surprising to me they would say these are isolated incidents," he
said. "Certainly, they're isolated in the sense they're the only ones
they've encountered here. But they would be foolish to think there would
not or could not be more in the future."

The two incidents occurred in the Iowa City and Lone Tree School Districts:

* On Jan. 13, a 10-year-old girl at Kirkwood Elementary School in
Coralville brought a rock of crack cocaine to Principal John Saehler,
reportedly telling him she obtained the drug from her father. The girl's
father, Frank Snead Jr., was charged with child endangerment and possession
of a schedule II controlled substance on Jan. 28.

* During February, children reported to Lone Tree School District officials
that their mother, Juanita Marie Walker, used drugs at home. Walker, who
told authorities she smoked marijuana to self-medicate, was charged with
child endangerment and possession of a schedule I controlled substance on
March 10.

Changes in the local drug scene have potential to fuel more reports by
children in the future, Henderson said. The area has seen dramatic
increases in methamphetamine use over the past few years, a drug that can
disrupt family dynamics more easily than a drug such as marijuana, he said.

"Some people can function quite well under the influence of marijuana," he
said. "I don't see that with meth. The impact is so much greater, it's only
a matter of time before the symptoms and problems become something that you
can't overlook."

Saehler said the January incident was the first time a student brought an
illegal substance to him.

He said he couldn't speculate on whether schools will see an increase in
children reporting their parents' drug use. However, the incident is a
reflection of the changing times, he said.

"Years ago, we'd talk to students about how they'd feel if one of their
parents smoked cigarettes," he said. "Now, we may have to start looking at
situations where the parents are doing something illegal."

Denise Townsend, the principal and guidance counselor at Lone Tree
Elementary, said she's not surprised students bring these issues to the school.

"It's where they are every day," she said. "In a perfect world, students
would have other outlets to share the information."

Although area schools aren't planning to change drug education in light of
the incidents, Townsend anticipates it will continue to be a concern.

"We want students in our families to be in a healthy atmosphere," she said.
"When we talk about zero tolerance for drugs - they themselves being free -
students are more conscientious enough to know what's OK and what's not OK."