I wish to express a debt of gratitude to the 100+ audience members who attended the community forum on November 30, 2017, at Tappan Zee High School. Along with a group of expert panelists, we joined together to confront an extremely dangerous threat that affects every one of us – either directly or indirectly: The threat of substance use in our community that has plagued the lives of so many of our young students and graduates and only appears to be getting worse. These substances include narcotics, alcohol, inhalants, prescription drugs, marijuana, opiates, and list of dangerous substances that seems to be growing by the day.
Our gathering on 11/30 was an important event. We agreed that there is not a single solution or a quick-fix to the problem of substance use. This is a problem that is as complicated as it is life-threatening. I can say with great certainty, however, that doing nothing is not an option…Remaining silent is not an option. And while we did not generate any specific solutions at our community forum, the thoughts and ideas we shared are a clear starting point that will generate actions to prevent our children from putting themselves at risk. In this light, we agreed that our next forum will be a workshop on generating tactics and long-range strategies to address this threat (date to be determined, however, I would like to schedule this follow-on event early in 2018).
The community forum was a starting point for a group of concerned citizens who care about the future of their children. I was happy to see so many folks in the audience who were eager to listen and learn (to include several of our students…bravo). I was especially elated at the high quality of questions and contributions made by the audience during the Question and Answer (Q&A) component of the evening. The topics that were addressed included:
- Our roles and responsibilities as a school district: We heard audience concern regarding the manner in which we, as a school district, are confronting drug trafficking in and around school property and how we synchronize that effort with local law enforcement. We agreed that this is a shared responsibility and we all have a role in this. Our follow-on discussion will be to look for ways to synchronize the effort between the school, families, students, and outside agencies to address this threat. The conversation we had was a good start to help us better understand our roles in this effort. We are all united in our love, concern, and empathy for students and their well-being and realize that communication is key to our success. In situations where a student is having difficulty accessing his or her educational program, the role of the school system is clear and there are prescribed treatments and responses that are taken in light of the law and our code of conduct. However, the home-to-school support system becomes far more difficult to engage when the evidence of substance use in school goes undetected. The problem isn’t always obvious and that is why we need to work together to communicate honestly and openly about the problems that our children face concerning substance use. Further, we know that this is a problem that affects a wide array of students regardless of socio-economic circumstances, gender, or ability level.
- Our roles and responsibilities as families: One of our panelists, Susan Hoerter, MD, Rockland County Department of Health Medical Director, highlighted the importance of communicating with our children. Dr. Hoerter, a child psychiatrist, provided some valuable approaches to better communicate with students in a way that developed a closer relationship with trusted adults – a protective factor in preventing risky behaviors. Another panelist, Jon, a community member in recovery, emphasized the mindset of addiction and some of the environmental factors that lead to substance use. Jon mentioned that the “I guess it could be worse” rationale is a lethal mindset and all families should consider “the better safe than sorry” argument as the best rule-of-thumb. Jon, along with panelist Terri Klausner Fails illustrated the actions families in crisis can take.
- Reconciling our own past or present substance use in light of your children’s current situation: We had a discussion concerning parent behaviors and the impact those behaviors have on children. An expressed concern was the manner in which we confront student substance use issues when parents may have similarly engaged in dangerous behaviors. The discussion was centered on not allowing adult responses to a child’s substance use be a justification for continued use. Our panelists had several suggestions on this topic.
- Evidence of substance use and what are the signs that your student is at risk: Most importantly, we stressed that we all should be open to the idea that it can happen and not ignore the signs. Being ignorant of the signs is one thing…ignoring them is another. Our forum is a starting point to prevent families from being in a position where “they never saw it coming” because they were not looking at the whole picture. Our panelists demonstrated their extensive expertise in recognizing the signs of substance use. We are especially grateful to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe and Captain Donald Butterworth of the Orangetown Police Department for providing the scope and magnitude of this crisis and just how dangerous this problem is for our families.
- Dealing with substance use is a highly emotional issue: It is important to remain calm when confronting a situation where someone is at risk. However, this becomes especially difficult when the person who needs support is a loved-one. In these cases, parents are often too close to the problem. Every family dynamic is different and emotional strength and stability may be absent in households where substance use is a problem. Knowing where to turn when you need counseling or a behavioral health response can prevent reacting in a way that could aggravate the situation. Our panelists presented some good suggestions as to how to respond in a productive manner.
- Goals for ourselves and our families: The substance use forum was a great first step in this difficult, but not impossible challenge – if you missed it, don’t worry. This was the first in a series of forums/workshops designed to engage and empower our families and students. Working together, with a unified voice, over time, we will develop solutions. It’s important not to get overwhelmed, but understand that this will require patience, determination, and commitment. We are not going to fix this problem overnight given the complexity of the problem. This becomes especially challenging given the myriad of underlying mental health issues that often accompany substance use. In future sessions, we will be presenting resources that can help guide families to long-term, sustainable solutions that can address underlying mental health concerns that may be contributing to substance use. In the meantime, please visit our Community Resources website to gain further knowledge of local programs and services for families needing assistance. This site is maintained by the district’s social workers as a resource for families.
- Recognizing addiction in the family and how this may impact on our responses to treatment: Our discussion at the community forum was a great start to help de-stigmatize what it means to live in a household with someone who is an addict. Many of us have experienced the trauma and stress associated with living with a person who is afflicted with alcoholism, drug addiction, and related life-threatening illnesses and behaviors. Avoidant behavior, such as deliberately ignoring or failing to recognize the problem because of shame or fear, is not healthy. Our panelists and audience engaged in a healthy conversation that gave us the presence of mind to deal with this problem in an open and honest manner.
My experience as a school administrator has convinced me that families that are proactive are better prepared to avoid the all-too-common scenarios where families struggle with substance use. In addition to being a long-time administrator, I am also the parent of two teenagers and I experience the same fear and apprehension that all reasonable parents face when they send their kids out into the world each day. We are hopeful that our kids make the right choices when confronted with a potentially risky situation, and we are vigilant to ensure that we have done everything in our power to protect them from harm. But, a little fear and apprehension is a natural function of being a parent, and we can be more effective at protecting our children when we unite as a community. In that vein, I am grateful to the distinguished panel of experts who made the evening a success:
Panelists:
- Vicki Shaw (forum moderator), health teacher at South Orangetown Central School District and SOCASA Director
- Michael Leitzes, MBA, Commissioner of the Rockland County Department of Mental Health
- Stephanie Madison, LMSW, President & CEO of Mental Health Association of Rockland
- Susan Hoerter, MD, Rockland County Department of Health Medical Director
- Thomas Zugibe, Rockland County District Attorney
- Donald Butterworth, Orangetown Police Department Captain
- Jon, Community Member in Recovery
- Terri Klausner Fails, Community Member/Parent
Thank you to the SOCSD Board of Education members who were present at the event.
Also special thanks to the representatives from NAMI Rockland, Mental Health Association of Rockland County, the Partnership for Safe Youth, RCADD, Candle Rockland, Samaritan Daytop Village and the Behavioral Health Response Team. These folks were all in attendance and provided additional information and resources before and after the panel discussion.
The event was co-sponsored by the Family Resource Center, South Orangetown PTAs and SOCASA.