Arlington Has A Drug Problem - From Middle School to High School to Our Community at Large

[Anonymous]

Is there a link to watch the recording??? (I think it was recorded or was it only live streamed?)

https://www.apsva.us/post/community-town-hall-event-substance-abuse-arlington/

Community Town Hall Event on Substance Abuse
Posted on September 19, 2017 at 11:17 am.

Town Hall 10.12.17 EnglishArlington Public Schools, Arlington County, the Arlington County Police Department and the Office of the Commonwealth of Virginia are hosting a Community Town Hall on Substance Abuse in Arlington from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thu, Oct. 12 at the Arlington Central Library. (1015 N. Quincy St.)

Join us for a discussion with community leaders, healthcare service providers, and law enforcement officers serving on the front lines about how drugs and the opioid epidemic are affecting our community. The town hall will be moderated by NBC Washington’s Jim Handly and is free and open to the public.

This event will be broadcast live on the Arlington County Government Facebook page@ArlingtonVA

[Anonymous]

The video is up on Arlington's official Facebook page (I think it's called Arlington County Virginia - Government.)

[Anonymous]

Perhaps Arlington Public Schools should sue the drug companies for 'fueling opioid epidemic."

Ohio Sues 5 Major Drug Companies For 'Fueling Opioid Epidemic'

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/31/530929307/ohio-sues-5-major-drug-companies-for-fueling-opioid-epidemic

The lawsuit — only the second such suit filed by a state, after Mississippi did so earlier this year — accuses the companies of engaging in a sustained marketing campaign to downplay the addiction risks of the prescription opioid drugs they sell and to exaggerate the benefits of their use for health problems such as chronic pain.

[Anonymous]

Correction: Arlington has a drug problem and is trying to do something about it. The other surrounding jurisdictions continue to hide their heads in the sand on this issue.

[Anonymous]

I DO believe that Arlington is trying to do something - but, more needs to be done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Correction: Arlington has a drug problem and is trying to do something about it. The other surrounding jurisdictions continue to hide their heads in the sand on this issue.

I'm sure it's very uncomfortable for Arlington residents to see their dirty laundry constantly aired.

Even so, it's debatable whether other jurisdictions have issues similar to those at Yorktown, which in part reflect what happens when you concentrate wealthy white students in a school that also loses many of the kids who otherwise would be the top academic performers to other schools and jurisdictions (to W-L for IB, and APS as a whole does not attract the motivated Asian kids like FCPS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correction: Arlington has a drug problem and is trying to do something about it. The other surrounding jurisdictions continue to hide their heads in the sand on this issue.

I'm sure it's very uncomfortable for Arlington residents to see their dirty laundry constantly aired.

Even so, it's debatable whether other jurisdictions have issues similar to those at Yorktown, which in part reflect what happens when you concentrate wealthy white students in a school that also loses many of the kids who otherwise would be the top academic performers to other schools and jurisdictions (to W-L for IB, and APS as a whole does not attract the motivated Asian kids like FCPS).

Do we really know that the issue is especially bad at Yorktown (and Williamsburg), or is it possible that it's getting more attention there because the parents there get more attention when they're vocal and, to be perfectly honest, there's a non-trivial portion of the population that is shocked when well-off white kids get into drugs but treat it as expected and thus unworthy of note when poor black kids do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correction: Arlington has a drug problem and is trying to do something about it. The other surrounding jurisdictions continue to hide their heads in the sand on this issue.

I'm sure it's very uncomfortable for Arlington residents to see their dirty laundry constantly aired.

Even so, it's debatable whether other jurisdictions have issues similar to those at Yorktown, which in part reflect what happens when you concentrate wealthy white students in a school that also loses many of the kids who otherwise would be the top academic performers to other schools and jurisdictions (to W-L for IB, and APS as a whole does not attract the motivated Asian kids like FCPS).

Do we really know that the issue is especially bad at Yorktown (and Williamsburg), or is it possible that it's getting more attention there because the parents there get more attention when they're vocal and, to be perfectly honest, there's a non-trivial portion of the population that is shocked when well-off white kids get into drugs but treat it as expected and thus unworthy of note when poor black kids do it?

While I disagree with PP and their comment about this being caused b/c of the concentration of wealthy white students, and lack of motivated Asian kids, etc., the answer to your question is YES, the issue is especially bad at Yorktown and there is data to prove it. I don't remember the numbers but they were released by the ACPD and the large percentage of drug issues were at Yorktown. In addition, if anything the "wealthy white families" are less than vocal and tend to dismiss or hide the problem, rather than being vocal at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correction: Arlington has a drug problem and is trying to do something about it. The other surrounding jurisdictions continue to hide their heads in the sand on this issue.

I'm sure it's very uncomfortable for Arlington residents to see their dirty laundry constantly aired.

Even so, it's debatable whether other jurisdictions have issues similar to those at Yorktown, which in part reflect what happens when you concentrate wealthy white students in a school that also loses many of the kids who otherwise would be the top academic performers to other schools and jurisdictions (to W-L for IB, and APS as a whole does not attract the motivated Asian kids like FCPS).

Do we really know that the issue is especially bad at Yorktown (and Williamsburg), or is it possible that it's getting more attention there because the parents there get more attention when they're vocal and, to be perfectly honest, there's a non-trivial portion of the population that is shocked when well-off white kids get into drugs but treat it as expected and thus unworthy of note when poor black kids do it?

While I disagree with PP and their comment about this being caused b/c of the concentration of wealthy white students, and lack of motivated Asian kids, etc., the answer to your question is YES, the issue is especially bad at Yorktown and there is data to prove it. I don't remember the numbers but they were released by the ACPD and the large percentage of drug issues were at Yorktown. In addition, if anything the "wealthy white families" are less than vocal and tend to dismiss or hide the problem, rather than being vocal at all.

Does anyone have a link to this data? I keep seeing it referenced on DCUM but can't find it anywhere else other than a statement to ArlNow that there were 18 drug arrests on public school grounds last year (unspecified which schools). Everything else I see is purely anecdotal, which potentially comes back to the question of whether it's getting more attention coming out of the rich white school than out of the poorer, darker schools. Maybe the problem really is worse at those schools, but I'd hate to think that all of the resources and support are once again being directed to the rich white kids while ignoring the struggles of other students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Does anyone have a link to this data? I keep seeing it referenced on DCUM but can't find it anywhere else other than a statement to ArlNow that there were 18 drug arrests on public school grounds last year (unspecified which schools). Everything else I see is purely anecdotal, which potentially comes back to the question of whether it's getting more attention coming out of the rich white school than out of the poorer, darker schools. Maybe the problem really is worse at those schools, but I'd hate to think that all of the resources and support are once again being directed to the rich white kids while ignoring the struggles of other students.

I'd love to see this data too. The principal at Williamsburg says he thinks the reason the school has a reputation as a school with a "drug problem" is because the stories of a handful of students who have drug problems get retold so many times in different versions, so it seems like it's happening more often than it is. Williamsburg parents are certainly a high-information, involved group...so I can see how this could happen. Would love to see data though.

[Anonymous]

This was posted on AEM:

At the Drug Awareness program in September with the Yorktown Civic Assn, the school safety officer provided the following stats: Of the 68 drug arrests, 47% involved Yorktown students. Of 24 cases that involved distribution, 63% were committed by Yorktown students. Of the 19 cases that involved hard drugs, 52% of them were by Yorktown students. Those stats included numbers which combine numbers from all the middle schools and high schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does anyone have a link to this data? I keep seeing it referenced on DCUM but can't find it anywhere else other than a statement to ArlNow that there were 18 drug arrests on public school grounds last year (unspecified which schools). Everything else I see is purely anecdotal, which potentially comes back to the question of whether it's getting more attention coming out of the rich white school than out of the poorer, darker schools. Maybe the problem really is worse at those schools, but I'd hate to think that all of the resources and support are once again being directed to the rich white kids while ignoring the struggles of other students.

I'd love to see this data too. The principal at Williamsburg says he thinks the reason the school has a reputation as a school with a "drug problem" is because the stories of a handful of students who have drug problems get retold so many times in different versions, so it seems like it's happening more often than it is. Williamsburg parents are certainly a high-information, involved group...so I can see how this could happen. Would love to see data though.

The reason the school has a reputation as a school with a drug problem is because it's a school that had to have EMTs arrive on premises more than once last year due to potential drug issues. It's a MIDDLE school for goodness sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was posted on AEM:

At the Drug Awareness program in September with the Yorktown Civic Assn, the school safety officer provided the following stats: Of the 68 drug arrests, 47% involved Yorktown students. Of 24 cases that involved distribution, 63% were committed by Yorktown students. Of the 19 cases that involved hard drugs, 52% of them were by Yorktown students. Those stats included numbers which combine numbers from all the middle schools and high schools

I saw this on AEM and wonder about the 68 drug arrests. Is that for the whole county -- as in 47% of drug arrests in Arlington involve Yorktown students? Or is it of the 68 drug-arrests taking place in Arlington county schools, 47% involve Yorktown students. Neither scenario is good, but I'd like to know which it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correction: Arlington has a drug problem and is trying to do something about it. The other surrounding jurisdictions continue to hide their heads in the sand on this issue.

I'm sure it's very uncomfortable for Arlington residents to see their dirty laundry constantly aired.

Even so, it's debatable whether other jurisdictions have issues similar to those at Yorktown, which in part reflect what happens when you concentrate wealthy white students in a school that also loses many of the kids who otherwise would be the top academic performers to other schools and jurisdictions (to W-L for IB, and APS as a whole does not attract the motivated Asian kids like FCPS).

Oh, honey. Bless your pathetic heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was posted on AEM:

At the Drug Awareness program in September with the Yorktown Civic Assn, the school safety officer provided the following stats: Of the 68 drug arrests, 47% involved Yorktown students. Of 24 cases that involved distribution, 63% were committed by Yorktown students. Of the 19 cases that involved hard drugs, 52% of them were by Yorktown students. Those stats included numbers which combine numbers from all the middle schools and high schools

I saw this on AEM and wonder about the 68 drug arrests. Is that for the whole county -- as in 47% of drug arrests in Arlington involve Yorktown students? Or is it of the 68 drug-arrests taking place in Arlington county schools, 47% involve Yorktown students. Neither scenario is good, but I'd like to know which it is.

I think that was over like a three-year period, too. It wasn't 68 drug arrests in a single year. And you wonder if that was separate perps or mulitple charges on the same perp or what.