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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I went to NCS and most of my classmates did not use drugs. There was the crowd that hung out in the bishops garden smoking pot and senior year some of the "popular" rich kids (the lifer/spring valley/went to dancing school/country club types), but I never saw it.

Maret and GDS and Burke had reputations for being very drug-gy.

I think the more rigorous the better because then you attract more serious kids, whereas the less rigorous schools are more likely to attract more slacker-ish/partying/rich kid types.[/quote]

She has three boys so commenting on NCS doesn’t seem to be particularly helpful…or correct for the current times. I have an US at the school and drinking is rampant. It’s definitely not a weed school (more of that at GDS, Sidwell, STA) but there is some cocaine use. A few years ago, a middle schooler had to go to rehab…just awful for the family.

I would like to point out that illicit drugs and alcohol may not be your biggest problem…many kids misue prescription drugs, particularly those for ADHD, and especially at rigorous schools. A boy at Sidwell died a few years ago misusing what he thought were clean ADHD meds but had fentanyl.

You are right to be concerned…[/quote]

My children attend Sidwell, and I have never heard about a fentanyl-related death of a student. Can you post a link to a newspaper article that cites this death? [b]I’m sure this would have made the news[/b].[/quote]

First - Sidwell does [b]everything possible[/b][b] to stay out of the news.  Second, there's no reason for you to know about a sad situation like this if you weren't part of (or adjacent enough to) the community at that time. Third, many parents felt that educational opportunities on drugs/alcohol were lost (frankly, fully absent) as a school response for both parents and the students. However, leaning very far into education on the compassionate side.

Compared to other high school programs (our children attend different schools), we felt like Sidwell leaned far more towards a "bury your head in the sand" approach when it came to teaching/discussing drugs/alcohol with kids and with parents. Our other schools have educational events where parents are highly encouraged to attend with their children (but kids split to be with different adults. Sidwell did still put into place strict rules/guidelines in an effort to keep events (like dances) clean and sober.  [/quote]

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