HS OFFICER COULD PREVENT FUTURE TRAGEDY

Whenever we face a tragedy like the suicide of a teenager, those left
behind wonder if the unthinkable act could have been prevented. In
this case, a 17-year-old Arlington High School student shot himself
after he took Klonopin, which may have distorted his mind. Two other
students were also hospitalized last week after reportedly taking
the drug. In times like these, parents may feel powerless and
worried for their children. But there are things we can do. As
parents, we can try to steer our children in the right direction. As
adults, we can be examples for teens. And as a community, we can act.

That is why The Advocate is proposing a school resource officer at
the high school. Many communities have a dedicated police officer
who spends time at the high school. This gives the police a presence
at the school, and allows police and school administrators to
proactively tackle problems with youth. For instance, if the resource
officer receives information about a weekend drug party, police can
follow up to make sure it doesn't happen. After news spread about
the 17-year-old student's suicide last week, police received dozens
of tips from people who knew of drug dealing in town. It took a
teen's death to make them come forward. If a school resource officer
was in place, students may have relayed the information to the
officer and this tragedy could have been averted.

If readers don't think drug use is a problem, they should look no
further than the more than 1,000 pills police recovered after a
16-year-old AHS student was arrested last Thursday. Police
confiscated prescription drugs Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, Librium,
Vicodin and Oxycontin at the teen's residence. Drug use amongst AHS
students is not just a school problem. It will take more than school
administrators and teachers working together to get drugs off our streets.

It's going to require a community-wide effort, from students to
parents to police to counselors, in order to protect our kids. In
the wake of last year's $6 million Proposition 2 1/2 override and
continued budget-tightening, some may believe the town cannot afford
a school resource officer. But, if the police and schools work
together to secure grants and share the cost of the officer, we
believe officials can make the position a reality. As the events of
the past week have shown, Arlington cannot afford to stand by while
its children die after taking drugs. We've already lost one teen.
Let's take action now so that we don't lose another.