Pubdate: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 Source: Caymanian Compass (Cayman Islands) Copyright: 2007 Cayman Free Press Ltd. Contact: http://www.caycompass.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4065 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) STUDENTS' DRUG USE HANDLED FAIRLY Looking for a place to buy a little weed? Look in the Friday, 12-14 October edition of the Caymanian Compass in the story about school students busted for allegedly using ganja at a beach party. The kids admitted they bought the illegal substance at Seven Mile Public Beach. These students were part of a larger group of kids hanging out at the beach. They just happened to be the ones singled out and who now face the embarrassment of suspension from school and random drug testing for the rest of their tenure at Cayman Prep High School. Kudos to Cayman Prep Principal Jean Bahadur for the way she is handling the situation. All of the students admit what they did was wrong. We bet that this is a life lesson they'll never forget. Parents who have school aged children would be doing themselves and their kids a service by going back to Friday's paper and reading that story. Pay particular attention to Mrs. Bahadur's statements. She, as an educator, has been told that ganja is readily available on Walkers Road, behind Burger King, behind the cinema and on Seven Mile Public Beach. If she knows this, surely the Royal Cayman Islands Police Services knows it too. Are these areas being regularly patrolled? It wouldn't appear so. But what's more important is the role of parents in this gem of information Mrs. Bahadur has passed on. She asked parents, 'do you know where your children areUKP' If they're hanging out on Seven Mile Beach, behind the cinema or the Burger King on Walkers Road, chances are they're not there just to sip a Coke and catch up on the week's gossip. Schools and the police do all they can to educate children about the dangers of drug use, but if there isn't any backing from parents, all of their hard work is futile. It is incumbent on parents to know where their children are and who they're hanging out with. Our children aren't our friends - they're our children and as parents we have an obligation to teach them right from wrong, and that includes keeping them away from the wrong crowds. We would hope that other schools would take a cue from Cayman Prep's leadership and come up with policies of dealing with students who indulge in illegal substances - whether at school or not. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman