School system, sheriff take first step in educating against drugs
By Johanna Macomber
Wednesday March 12, 2008 2:34:53pm


Leaders in the Catoosa County school system partnered with county law enforcement officials to take the first step in an educational process to educate students, parents and school staff members about the dangers of prescription drugs in the form of a community forum Tuesday, March 11. Parents, students, teachers and the representatives from the Catoosa County Sheriff's Department met behind locked doors in the Ringgold High School cafeteria Tuesday evening.

Dozens of parents voiced their concerns for their children and their friend's children during the parent-teacher forum.

Ringgold High School Principal Sharon Vaughn and the Catoosa County Board of Education members, several of whom were in attendance, decided to have a parent-teacher forum to discuss prescription drug related issues in the home and in the school after a second Ringgold High School student died last week from a prescriptiodrug overdose.

"Ringgold High School doesn't have a tremendous drug problem, they're just like any other school," Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers said. "I think we have safe schools, but we have had some failures. Hopefully we can make something good out of a bad situation."

After Ringgold High School staff shared their concerns for the students and plans to improve student's and teacher's awareness of prescription drugs, parents voiced their concerns, stories and ideas to help improve the school's watchful eye on students as well as suggestions for other parents to be more involved in their children's lives.


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Sarah27728
Comments: 73
Joined: 10/23/2007
03/13/2008 12:12:37 PM
jay, i thought the doors were locked to the media.. so that people would feel comfortable to speak freely.
 
jaydubya
Comments: 173
Joined: 11/05/2006
03/13/2008 02:38:24 AM
Well, my question is, why was this meeting behind locked doors? What kind of secrets were told? How can you call it a "public forum" and lock the doors? And isn't there a Sunshine type law that forbids locking out folks in a public school? Don't know for sure but was wondering if someone else does.

Do they think locking out the public will make the problem easier to correct? Are not the parents of elementary and middle school children allowed to voice their concerns. Seems this is a community problem. Not a problem confined to Ringgold High School.

And to say RHS does't have a tremendous drug problem is paramount to saying there isn't a teen pregnancy problem in Catoosa County. Wow, how could you miss the boat. Didn't a teen just die this past year from alcohol intoxication. Now you have about four boys that take prescription drugs and one dies and the others are sick. How many kids have to die before you consider this a problem? This is only the tip of the iceberg.

Shame on those that refuse to take notice.

 
sundevil1
Comments: 13
Joined: 08/10/2007
03/12/2008 03:54:39 PM
Mixed messages...
All of this is a load of PR BS.

Did you know that the school system eliminated the gifted and advanced placement classes for next year at Ringgold High ? Yep. These idiots took the best and brightest students and told them that they may as well move away after they graduate because there is "zero tolerance" for high achievers in the Catoosa County school system.

Welcome to the brain drain. With no advanced placement classes to keep the high achievers in school,look for more drugs,violence and disorder as the smart parents take their smart kids to private school. These people are hypocrites when they say that they want to have a drug free campus and they eliminate the one area of achievement that they can point to. Mark my words : When the AYP results start falling off the table in a couple of years,they will blame it on you,the taxpayers,for not "adequately funding" education. They are lying hypocrites.
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