Winston Churchill Xanax Drug Bust In School Bathroom...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I know there are drugs in my child's school. I just wished MCPS would wake up and do more to prevent it.

This is 100% on parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I know there are drugs in my child's school. I just wished MCPS would wake up and do more to prevent it.

Like what?

Why don't you want parents to wake up and do more to prevent it?

[Anonymous]

As a parent at Churchill, I do my best to try to keep my kids off drugs. I work from home so I am home when they are out of school. My kid have a strict curfew with a parent to see them when they walk in the door. They are into athletics and other extra curricular activities so they have very little downtime and reasons to get up early even on weekends.

At home we also have open discussions on what they see happening at school and with their peers. Starting in middle school, my kids reported that there were drug dealers in school - some marijuana but also prescription drugs including ADHD meds and opiates. In high school, they saw pills exchanged for money in the back of classrooms while class was going on, in locker rooms, in stairwells, and in hallways. Some kids show up to class stoned (especially after lunch). Most recently, one of my children reported to me that some of the athletes in MCPS used steroids in post season meets. Other athletes at school have been banned for 30 days from extracurricular actives for alcohol consumption at a school sponsored event.

It's daily exposure and availability at school and from peers that worries me as a parent. Teenagers fall so easily to peer pressure and there is a lot of pressure to party at Churchill. Sure, schools cannot control what happens off of school property but they should be able to do a better job preventing drugs and alcohol on school property. Working with parents for prevention instead of ignoring what is going on would be a step in the right direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent at Churchill, I do my best to try to keep my kids off drugs. I work from home so I am home when they are out of school. My kid have a strict curfew with a parent to see them when they walk in the door. They are into athletics and other extra curricular activities so they have very little downtime and reasons to get up early even on weekends.

At home we also have open discussions on what they see happening at school and with their peers. Starting in middle school, my kids reported that there were drug dealers in school - some marijuana but also prescription drugs including ADHD meds and opiates. In high school, they saw pills exchanged for money in the back of classrooms while class was going on, in locker rooms, in stairwells, and in hallways. Some kids show up to class stoned (especially after lunch). Most recently, one of my children reported to me that some of the athletes in MCPS used steroids in post season meets. Other athletes at school have been banned for 30 days from extracurricular actives for alcohol consumption at a school sponsored event.

It's daily exposure and availability at school and from peers that worries me as a parent. Teenagers fall so easily to peer pressure and there is a lot of pressure to party at Churchill. Sure, schools cannot control what happens off of school property but they should be able to do a better job preventing drugs and alcohol on school property. Working with parents for prevention instead of ignoring what is going on would be a step in the right direction.

I am repeating myself but this all falls back to the leadership of the school, namely the principal. She is way past her prime and yet is kept in place by the School board after all the issues that have occurred at Churchill in the past few years. A strong principal, visible and accessible to the students would be a great start to getting Churchill back on track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent at Churchill, I do my best to try to keep my kids off drugs. I work from home so I am home when they are out of school. My kid have a strict curfew with a parent to see them when they walk in the door. They are into athletics and other extra curricular activities so they have very little downtime and reasons to get up early even on weekends.

At home we also have open discussions on what they see happening at school and with their peers. Starting in middle school, my kids reported that there were drug dealers in school - some marijuana but also prescription drugs including ADHD meds and opiates. In high school, they saw pills exchanged for money in the back of classrooms while class was going on, in locker rooms, in stairwells, and in hallways. Some kids show up to class stoned (especially after lunch). Most recently, one of my children reported to me that some of the athletes in MCPS used steroids in post season meets. Other athletes at school have been banned for 30 days from extracurricular actives for alcohol consumption at a school sponsored event.

It's daily exposure and availability at school and from peers that worries me as a parent. Teenagers fall so easily to peer pressure and there is a lot of pressure to party at Churchill. Sure, schools cannot control what happens off of school property but they should be able to do a better job preventing drugs and alcohol on school property. Working with parents for prevention instead of ignoring what is going on would be a step in the right direction.

I am repeating myself but this all falls back to the leadership of the school, namely the principal. She is way past her prime and yet is kept in place by the School board after all the issues that have occurred at Churchill in the past few years. A strong principal, visible and accessible to the students would be a great start to getting Churchill back on track.

I completely agree with this. Why is she still there? Given the various issues over the years I don't understand why she has never been replaced. I think there is quite a bit of dissatisfaction of her performance by both parents and students. My DD who graduated last year said that she didn't know anyone's name and was completely out of tune with the needs of the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent, I know there are drugs in my child's school. I just wished MCPS would wake up and do more to prevent it.

This is 100% on parents.

Totally agree. MCPS is awake--parents need to step up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am repeating myself but this all falls back to the leadership of the school, namely the principal. She is way past her prime and yet is kept in place by the School board after all the issues that have occurred at Churchill in the past few years. A strong principal, visible and accessible to the students would be a great start to getting Churchill back on track.

I completely agree with this. Why is she still there? Given the various issues over the years I don't understand why she has never been replaced. I think there is quite a bit of dissatisfaction of her performance by both parents and students. My DD who graduated last year said that she didn't know anyone's name and was completely out of tune with the needs of the students.

Yes, a thousand times yes to both comments above. Let me add that it's not just Churchill parents and students who are dissatisfied with her. The majority of us teachers at Churchill are dissatisfied too, and wonder all the time how she continues "leading" our school.

[Anonymous]

Churchill class of 2000 grad. Instead of Dr. Benz ever becoming principal, they should have given the role to Mike Zarchin. He's what that school needed. And he was one of the biggest positive influences at that school for many of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Churchill class of 2000 grad. Instead of Dr. Benz ever becoming principal, they should have given the role to Mike Zarchin. He's what that school needed. And he was one of the biggest positive influences at that school for many of us.

Agree 100%. His son is an MCPS administrator supervising a cluster of middle schools and is impressive as well.