Pubdate: 1 Nov 1998 Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX) Contact: http://www.star-telegram.com/ Copyright: 1998 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas Author: Yamil Berard SOME PARENTS QUESTION SCHOOLS' ROLE IN DRUG EDUCATION Red Ribbon Week conjures up positive images of grinning students bedecked with pins, T-shirts and slogans exalting the youngsters' pledge to be drug-free. Yet on the opposite end of Tony Arangio's phone line Tuesday morning, a parent's voice was twisting with anger. "My son is in the first grade, and he shouldn't know anything about drugs," the parent told Arangio, coordinator of Safe and Drug Free Schools for Arlington school district. The educator's response: "It's just a red ribbon. Throw it away. Don't wear it. Schools are very accommodating. If you say, `I don't want my kid to wear it,' we don't do it." In the past decade, as schools have been asked to shoulder the difficult task of delivering the anti-drug message to the nation's youths, educators have spoken of parents primarily as partners in the efforts. But as the lessons are being broadened and woven into the curriculum from English to social studies to math, many parents are being seen in a new role: The opposition. Some parents fear that the emphasis on drug education convinces their children that everyone, indeed, uses drugs. Some school methods, they say, also intrude on family and student privacy. And drug classes may just be graduating educated drug consumers, the critics say. The critics can be overruled. Many parents say they want their children to be equipped with as much information about drugs as possible, so they appreciate it when schools dispense it. "Knowledge is the best weapon," said Colleen Newton, a mother of two students at Keller-Harvel Elementary who supports the school's intervention efforts. And the multiple heroin-related deaths in North Texas have prompted parents to begin clamoring for improved and extensive drug education in the schools. In Northeast Tarrant County, school districts have responded with forums and summits to explain to the public the dangers of drug use and what signs to watch for if parents suspect that their child is on drugs. On the flip side, some parents say they have become dumbstruck when their 8-, 9- and 10-year-old children have recited to them a list of household cleaners that can be inhaled, or the common traits of drug pushers. The information can have the opposite effect that schools intend, the parents say. "It's creating a Lord of the Flies mentality," said Jeanne Donovan, a Fort Worth parent of two Crowley students. "I feel it's my responsibility to talk to my child about those kinds of issues." In Grapevine-Colleyville school district this spring, parents and school officials collided over an effort to require drug testing of students involved in extracurricular activities, and the idea eventually was scrapped. Even those who supported the testing had mixed emotions about whether it would intrude on students' rights. "I'm an American, so I believe in people's constitutional rights -- but for my children, I want to know" if they're using, said Kim Glavan, a Grapevine parent of four. In some school districts, parents have filed lawsuits to block student surveys and other activities used in drug prevention. In San Antonio, three parents filed a lawsuit concerning a survey in which high school students were asked a series of questions about their family relationships, and were offered a "counseling session" on managing anger, coping with stress, study skills and other topics. The parents said that the district failed to notify them before students were given the survey, and that their children were "psychologically examined." According to the state education code, a parent must be notified if his or her child is to receive psychological examinations, tests or treatments. "It's wrong to examine kids and ask them personally invasive questions," said Tom Stack, an attorney with the Texas Justice Foundation, which is representing the parents. Despite the backlash from some parents, most schools are convinced that they must play an important role in educating students about drugs. Drug education, school leaders say, is part of their mission to nurture children, both intellectually and emotionally. "So many parents don't spend that much time with their kids or, when they do, it's not a high priority," said Linda Cegiel, who coordinates drug prevention programs for the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district. To make up for that loss, some schools are embracing programs designed to promote clean living by patching up "problem" areas in students' lives. The goal is to help youngsters build a resistance to drugs, as well as to other negative influences. In Southlake, Carroll schools have joined with parents and city leaders on the Joint Drug and Alcohol Awareness Committee to come up with a program supported by the community. The committee is promoting the Teen Leadership class at Carroll High School as a must-take course for helping students avoid destructive decisions. During each class, students expound on topics vital to them, such as future jobs, friendships and college. They keep a daily journal, which is graded by their teacher, Amy Gallagher. She won't read a page that is folded over - -- a signal that the information is private. But most often, students are extremely candid with their upbeat and youthful teacher, who has about 120 teen leaders in her class every week. "I have a lot of kids say, `Can I sit in your room? Can we talk?' " she said. "I learn so much from them because they're so willing to share with me. They're almost too open sometimes and I tell them, `Are you sure you want to tell me all this?' " Teen Leadership also steers students to be introspective and to think seriously about their lives, school officials say. Newton, who talked to her daughter at age 3 about LSD tattoos, wants to raise her to feel comfortable to share life's most troubling matters. Whatever her daughter learns in school, Newton said, she will hear at home, too. "If my child gets on drugs, I want her to know when she reached a breaking point that the first person she could turn to is me," Newton said. - --- Checked-by: Pat Dolan