Oct 30, 2009 6:06 am US/Eastern
Smithtown Parents: Go To Drug Meeting, Or No Prom!
New York Town Requires Parents To Attend Conference Or Their Children Cannot Go To Senior Prom
SMITHTOWN, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Smithtown High School is taking significant measures to fight the battle against students who use drugs. Parents are now required to attend a meeting in order for their children to attend senior prom.
CBS
Attend a drug meeting or forget the prom. That's an order directed not at students, but at parents in one Suffolk County town taking the aggressive step to battle heroin abuse among teens.
First it was the decision to allow police dogs into Smithtown schools to sniff for drugs in lockers after hours, and now the community is abuzz about a mandatory drug abuse senior prom meeting for parents.
"This topic of heroin is so scary that you don't get a second chance perhaps, and if you make a mistake it could be fatal so we decided let's make sure everybody gets the information," said Smithtown Superintendent Edward Ehmann.
Ehmann explained the school board's decision: if parents fail to attend the mandatory meeting, or sign off on screening a DVD, their children will be barred from attending the prom and annual senior banquet.
"I'm a little torn from the standpoint of government or schools telling me what I have to do, but on the other hand, I'm a big proponent of parents taking responsibility for what their kids' actions are," said Smithtown resident Bob Butterley.
The DVD of the meeting includes experts speaking to the science of addiction, counseling and treatment for children abusing heroin.
"I think it's completely necessary because I think that parents think, 'Not my kid, my kid doesn't do that,'" said Smithtown senior Alyssa Rossi.
Like Rossi, senior Craig Matturro attended the mandatory meeting with their parents "It's a little crazy, but if you're going to apply it to a couple kids, you have to apply it to everyone."
There are 11,000 in Smithtown's district. Obviously most do not use heroin or other drugs, but they may know kids who do, and arming parents with information can be essential.
"The children making poor choices really need some quick and fast and sometimes tough action," said John Dolan, Principal at Smithtown High School West.
Not all parents agree with the mandate.
"Kids should not be doing drugs, but you should not make the parent sign and go and say your child can't go to the prom. That's ridiculous," said parent Deborah Willis.
Smithtown says its mandatory meeting is part of a comprehensive approach to battling drugs – specifically heroin – and that the community will continue discussions long after prom is just a memory.
The Smithtown district also mandates drug and alcohol abuse meetings with parents of student-athletes and those who drive their cars to school.
Suffolk County is also now offering $500 to any students who tip police to classmates dealing drugs. Tips can be texted anonymously, and police say they'll respond.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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