MCPS to Address Opioid/Fentanyl Crisis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn't much MCPS can do to stop it. Let's be real. At some point parents also need to parent their kids and handle these things.

So many parents seem to feel differently and expect the county to raise their kids for them these days.

No one wants MCPS to raise their kids for them. But the kids are doing things they shouldn't be doing while entrusted to MCPS's care, like doing drugs in the bathroom and MCPS is doing NOTHING to curb the behavior or stop it.

If they do anything, parents will have a fit. The only thing they can do is extra security in the bathroom and parents will scream about having adults in the bathroom and bag searches upon entering the building and parents will scream privacy.

As a parent, you need to stop your kids drug use and stop expecting the school to raise and parent them.

Where's the evidence for this claim? Have these tactics been implemented to be met with this response? Or are you assuming this WILL happen no matter what?

And furthermore, even if SOME parents complain, majority consensus should rule. And you shouldn't underestimate how current events might color parent response. Even if parents in the past might've been hesitant to embrace these security measures, the current state with rampant drug use and on-campus overdoses could make everyone more receptive to these security measures in the same way we embraced increased security measures at the airport as a tradeoff for everyone's wellbeing and safety after 9/11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG- MCPS cannot win. If they do nothing you people are mad, if they try to do something, you are still mad. Maybe you should monitor what is happening in your own house instead of having MCPS do it. My DS is in HS, I know a lot of the parents of his friends. Most of them are so checked out, it is their last kid and they are so hands off, it is unbelievable.

List the things that MCPS did to curb or stop the flow of drugs in their school buildings that parents have complained about. I'll wait.

Furthermore, parents have NO CONTROL over what the kids do while they're in the school building. Kids are literally smoking up and getting high on MCPS property. What exactly would you like parents to do when they're not physically in the building but MCPS staff and security are?

Do you not understand that MCPS has a duty of care for minors when they're in the school building?

Cops wanted to bring drug sniffing dogs to check lockers and it was stopped by WJ parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to give a shout out to our head of security who administered Narcan in November and saved a life. Kids need to be able to report a suspected overdose immediately without fear of major repercussions. Luckily for this teen another student ran to security.

Kids need repercussions and this is why kids know they can do drugs, act up, and be violent.

Almost dying is not a repercussion in your book?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This report from Fox 5 DC on the overdose death of the Kennedy student is heartbreaking:

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/youth-overdose-deaths-increased-by-120-in-montgomery-county

Thank you for posting this and it makes sense why the schools are addressing it. I still think it’s a feel good measure and changes do need to be made so that they are involuntary as opposed to voluntary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG- MCPS cannot win. If they do nothing you people are mad, if they try to do something, you are still mad. Maybe you should monitor what is happening in your own house instead of having MCPS do it. My DS is in HS, I know a lot of the parents of his friends. Most of them are so checked out, it is their last kid and they are so hands off, it is unbelievable.

List the things that MCPS did to curb or stop the flow of drugs in their school buildings that parents have complained about. I'll wait.

Furthermore, parents have NO CONTROL over what the kids do while they're in the school building. Kids are literally smoking up and getting high on MCPS property. What exactly would you like parents to do when they're not physically in the building but MCPS staff and security are?

Do you not understand that MCPS has a duty of care for minors when they're in the school building?

Well guess what? The kids are all doing it in houses during parties or haven't you heard? Everyone knows what is going on during these parties, where are the parents?

So you're not going to answer the question?

Obviously, parents are responsible for any illegal or reckless behavior they do at home. But the school is responsible for what's going on at school, which is the topic being discussed and addressed at hand. So can you answer the question or not? Stop deflecting.

Parents are responsible 24/7, including when they are in school. There is only so much MCPS can do. If they cannot do metal detectors, bag searches and more, and place security in the bathrooms, what exactly do you want them to do especially when parents demanded removing SRO's.

I

Actually, parents didn't demand removing SROs. It was a political initiative fulled by community organizers (many of whom weren't parents of MCPS students themselves), some students and politicians (Will Jawando).

Many parents have been asking for the return of SROs, in fact: https://www.mymcmedia.org/many-parents-express-support-for-return-of-school-resource-officers/

So stop making up fairytales.

At best, most people within MCPS were divided on getting rid of SROs. Most people saw the value in having SROs but were concerned by the seemingly higher incidence rates by race. But it was not a blanket, universal opinion held by parents that SROs were bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can’t even stop the vaping happening in front of their faces, how are they going to manage drug use?

Because vaping does not kill you.

Look a few posts back. Apparently someone overdosed from a laced vape cartridge.

[Anonymous]

Furthermore on the removal of SROs, this was very much a POLITICAL goal and Ehrlich acted unilaterally without even waiting for the study MCPS was conducting on SROs before he pulled it.

Just to refresh your memory: https://wjla.com/news/crisis-in-the-classrooms/montgomery-county-public-schools-school-resource-officers-police-council-marc-elrich-students-parents-study-feedback-hybrid-program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG- MCPS cannot win. If they do nothing you people are mad, if they try to do something, you are still mad. Maybe you should monitor what is happening in your own house instead of having MCPS do it. My DS is in HS, I know a lot of the parents of his friends. Most of them are so checked out, it is their last kid and they are so hands off, it is unbelievable.

List the things that MCPS did to curb or stop the flow of drugs in their school buildings that parents have complained about. I'll wait.

Furthermore, parents have NO CONTROL over what the kids do while they're in the school building. Kids are literally smoking up and getting high on MCPS property. What exactly would you like parents to do when they're not physically in the building but MCPS staff and security are?

Do you not understand that MCPS has a duty of care for minors when they're in the school building?

Cops wanted to bring drug sniffing dogs to check lockers and it was stopped by WJ parents.

What year and when? And again, with a 100%+ increase in drug overdoses among youth, WJ parents might feel differently about that intervention today than they did back then. Current events matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can’t even stop the vaping happening in front of their faces, how are they going to manage drug use?

Because vaping does not kill you.

If you're a parent, I'm sad for your children. If you work within MCPS and have this attitude, our children aren't safe with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to give a shout out to our head of security who administered Narcan in November and saved a life. Kids need to be able to report a suspected overdose immediately without fear of major repercussions. Luckily for this teen another student ran to security.

Kids need repercussions and this is why kids know they can do drugs, act up, and be violent.

Almost dying is not a repercussion in your book?

If knowing the risk of dying prevented drug users from using drugs, we wouldn't have substance abuse problems. So I don't know why you're talking like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn't much MCPS can do to stop it. Let's be real. At some point parents also need to parent their kids and handle these things.

So many parents seem to feel differently and expect the county to raise their kids for them these days.

No. They want their kids to be protected from the havoc induced by others using drugs in schools. So easy to say "parent your own kids" but you can't parent other people's kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn't much MCPS can do to stop it. Let's be real. At some point parents also need to parent their kids and handle these things.

So many parents seem to feel differently and expect the county to raise their kids for them these days.

No. They want their kids to be protected from the havoc induced by others using drugs in schools. So easy to say "parent your own kids" but you can't parent other people's kids.

EXACTLY! Some of the people who are advocating for lax rules and policies around drug in school buildings on a PARENT forum are stunning me.

[Anonymous]

I've heard there are drug issues at some of the wealthy schools but never heard about it elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard there are drug issues at some of the wealthy schools but never heard about it elsewhere.

Drugs are all over MCPS. On this issue, wealthy, non-wealthy schools and majority-white and majority-brown schools are all being impacted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There isn't much MCPS can do to stop it. Let's be real. At some point parents also need to parent their kids and handle these things.

So many parents seem to feel differently and expect the county to raise their kids for them these days.

No. They want their kids to be protected from the havoc induced by others using drugs in schools. So easy to say "parent your own kids" but you can't parent other people's kids.

EXACTLY! Some of the people who are advocating for lax rules and policies around drug in school buildings on a PARENT forum are stunning me.

I don't think anyone is advocating for lax rules. However, the person reporting a suspected overdose should not have the same repercussions. Kids have to be able to safely report. Kids dying in high school bathrooms is not the answer.