'Rampant' drug use raises concern at Kennedy High School in Montgomery County

[Anonymous]

https://wjla.com/news/local/drugs-kennedy-high-school-montgomery-county-public-schools-board-education-hearing-testified-david-gebler-policy-change-concerns-crime

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A ninth-grade English teacher at Kennedy High School in Glenmont said what's happening at the school is also happening at other public schools in Montgomery County.

At an April 11 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education hearing David Gebler told school board members the halls at Kennedy "reek of marijuana."

"Usually drug use occurs in our bathrooms but vaping directly in the halls is becoming popular, and make no mistake, the ever-rising opioid epidemic is in our buildings," he testified.

Gebler described the drug use at Kennedy as "daily, rampant, and repeated."

[Anonymous]

Last year there was a problem at BCC, which has since been tamped down a bit. Some bathrooms are closed at lunchtime and the rest are monitored by staff and parent volunteers.

Churchill had a problem recently.

Substance use is pervasive, and you never know when and at which school it will bubble up.

[Anonymous]

Duplicate of https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/270/1183013.page

[Anonymous]

This is everywhere. Even in my kids' high school not in this area. Vapes should be illegal. It is all because of the access they have to vapes. It is outrageous they are not banned.

[Anonymous]

The industry is specifically targeting young kids with fruit-loop type of favors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year there was a problem at BCC, which has since been tamped down a bit. Some bathrooms are closed at lunchtime and the rest are monitored by staff and parent volunteers.

Churchill had a problem recently.

Substance use is pervasive, and you never know when and at which school it will bubble up.

I heard this also. My kids are at Churchill. A lot of kids smoking pot Kids park their car and smoke a joint walking up to the school. Alcohol parties every weekend. It’s all over, not just Kennedy and not just Churchill.

[Anonymous]

I smoked pot almost every day when I was attending an MCPS high school 30 years ago. This is not new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The industry is specifically targeting young kids with fruit-loop type of favors.

Oh please. You know what else has fruit loop type flavors? Fruit. Is fruit designed to target kids? What about lemon fresh lysol. Is lysol targeted to kids? What about cordial cherries. Are those made for children too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I smoked pot almost every day when I was attending an MCPS high school 30 years ago. This is not new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is everywhere. Even in my kids' high school not in this area. Vapes should be illegal. It is all because of the access they have to vapes. It is outrageous they are not banned.

This is so sad. They just don't understand the danger and probability of getting laced drugs that can kill. I wonder how many times the school narcan supply is used for students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I smoked pot almost every day when I was attending an MCPS high school 30 years ago. This is not new.

The pot of today is different - stronger and mixed with chemicals in a different delivery method.

[Anonymous]

So, not only do they have chronic absenteeism but when they are in school there are fights, knife attacks, and rampant drug use.

This is a really dumb question but, can a single school be taken over by the state? Can the state board come in and overhaul a single school or provide security or extreme measures for one single school within a school system?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I smoked pot almost every day when I was attending an MCPS high school 30 years ago. This is not new.

And look where it got you: Posting on DCUM!

[Anonymous]

Every HS, public and private, has a drug problem- its not limited to Kennedy HS (we have one in a well regarded private and one at a W HS)

[Anonymous]

I don't know why the only point people are making here is that the drug problem is at every school. Of course it is. OP in fact made a point that the Kennedy HS teacher said that this happens in other schools too.
The issue is that drug use IN the schools have become rampant. Hallways reek of marijuana, bathroom vaping is common, and staff aren't doing much about it except for shutting down the bathrooms. And I know people say this was common back in the day, however I disagree. I graduated in 1993 and went to a non-W HS. Yes, plenty of kids were doing weed- but not AT school; and if they did- they would get in a lot of trouble. No, it's not the same.