Editorial: Kudos to Collier district's well-being focus
The new highlighter in his book bag might indicate he’s getting serious about his studies. Pop open the back end, however, and you’ll find a miniature pipe for smoking pot.
It seems obvious why she has the tampon in her purse as she goes to school or events. Peel back the wrapper on this one, however, and there is a hollow plastic tube big enough to hold a couple shots of alcohol.
And those ever-present breath mints or gum? Adults know the trick of using them to try to disguise what they’ve been drinking or smoking. So do kids.
These were a few of many takeaways for parents from a Tuesday night virtual town hall forum held simultaneously at Collier County school district sites in North Naples, Immokalee and Everglades City.
We’d also point to two important community takeaways from the scheduling of the event, “Substance Abuse: Keeping Your Kids Safe.”
One is to commend Collier schools Superintendent Kamela Patton and her team for taking a holistic approach to educating children, realizing a teacher’s dedicated efforts can unravel if the child is abusing drugs or using alcohol, engaged in harmful social media practices, has poor eyesight or goes to classes hungry.
Another is that Patton’s commitment to community partnerships is paying off, in this case bringing in leaders from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Free Collier, NCH Healthcare System and the David Lawrence Center, which treats mental illness and substance abuse. Tuesday’s panel also importantly offered a student’s perspective from Albert De Leon of Lely High School.
Common themes
The hourlong forum and informative materials are available on the district’s website, www.collierschools.com, as is a prior one about keeping kids safe in this social media era. We’d strongly recommend any parent or involved grandparent skip a two-hour movie or game on TV and watch these online instead.
Some of the common themes you’ll hear from Tuesday’s panelists:
+ “There are times for being a parent, not a friend,” said Dr. Damian McGovern of NCH.
+ When there’s changing circumstances, pay stricter attention, noted Nancy Dauphinais, chief operating officer at David Lawrence Center. These might include changing schools, new friends, a significant change in appearance, disrupted sleep patterns, a declining academic performance or family issues, such as parents splitting up.
+ Adults who know about the 1970s drug culture should be aware marijuana today can be 50 times more potent than then, McGovern said. Ana DiMercurio, assistant director of Drug Free Collier, added that the concentration of harmful elements can be stronger in edibles.
+ Even prescription drugs can be abused. If you have medications, count your pills and store them in secure places. Drug Free Collier’s website provides information for disposing of medications no longer needed.
Tips on tough issues
+ Drug Free Collier offers parents kits to test children for about a dozen drugs. Feel awkward about doing that? Panelists suggested leaving the box out on the refrigerator as an unspoken inference. If you decide to insist on the test, McGovern urged: think ahead how you’ll conduct the subsequent conversation whether the test is positive or negative.
+ Along with administrators, youth relations deputies in schools are tremendous resources for children to share concerns about peers, noted sheriff’s Sgt. Tiffany Castle. Your child worried about tattling? Explain that “it’s a lot more uncomfortable to sit at a (friend’s) funeral” than to approach an adult, said Rachel Dawes, district student relations director.
+ Is peer pressure going to influence your child when away from home or school? Set up a secret code word or phrase for your child to text you if he or she is trapped in an awkward situation so you can call with an emergency to come home or go to where they are, Dauphinais said.
+ From a student’s perspective, De Leon suggested involvement in clubs, sports and volunteering. “Just keep busy,” he said.
Those ideas are just the tip of the valuable tips you can learn. This program is worth parents’ time to watch.