Drug task force is getting the information out

Suzie Harrison

Laguna Beach High School Principal Nancy Blade is pleased with the

functionality and diversity of the Laguna Beach Unified School

District and the city’s joint Youth Substance Abuse Task Force.

Mayor Cheryl Kinsman is said to be an integral force behind this

group and has brought the police, school district and the city closer

in working together as a cohesive team. Parents are also involved and

students have been invited.

“Mayor Kinsman brought the idea of the policy to the district and

city at a joint meeting,” Blade said.

Supt. Theresa Daem agrees and said that it came to fruition at a

joint district and city meeting. Kinsman and school board president

El Hathaway are being lauded for their fortitude in making the force

happen.

The task force is going on its second year. Parent and co-chair of

the coalition, Theresa O’Hare, likes the support they are receiving.

“What’s great about it, too, is that each athletic program is

supporting it and widely promoting it -- it’s catching on,” O’Hare

said.

She said that people want to know what is going on and they are

taking baby steps to achieve it.

“This year we meet once every quarter,” Blade said. “We have an

agenda.”

Their focus this year was to have a city and parent meeting to

discuss issues. Capt. Danell Adams ran that meeting Dec. 1.

“The last meeting was Feb. 25 and we were reviewing the board

policy for substance abuse,” Blade said. “We’re going to take a

second look at that.”

She thinks the task force is a productive and important entity.

They created a prom brochure for parents, giving them tips for

dialogue with their children and how to address them when they are

facing peer pressure. It talks about things for parents to look for

and ways of communicating.

Blade said that after receiving the results of the Healthy Kids

Survey, school board member Kay Turner did a presentation and helped

the group realize which areas to focus on.

“We shared ideas and came up with the parents guide for the

prevention of substance abuse,” Blade said. “We continue to look at

the voluntary drug testing program at the high school.”

Blade explained that parents have the ability to have their

child/student tested every month or randomly.

“It’s completely confidential and directly mailed to parents, and

no one at the school has access to it except counselor Gretchen

Ernsdorf, she is the only person that knows,” Blade said.

A parent or student can request counseling and it is provided with

complete confidentiality.

Blade could not even comment on the number of students who are on

the drug-testing program because of the strict stipulations.

O’Hare said there is a big problem with alcohol and drugs with

alcohol being the more prevalent problem of the two.

“Sometimes good kids make bad choices,” O’Hare said. “We’re hoping

to show them that there are other things out there.”

She said there are a lot of great kids making good decisions.

“We need to keep communicating, getting it out there in the open,”

O’Hare said.