Recently during Citizen Comments, I made an observation about Commission meetings. Month after month, I sit through discussions about turf and deer. People have come up to the podium and would exclaim, "Our kids have no place to play toddler soccer. We must have turf." or "Will it take a death to get you people to do something about these deer?" How many deaths does it take for Mt. Lebanon to do something about the drug problem here?
Mt. Lebanon has a heroin problem. We live in a community where all the fundraisers for Outreach revolve around alcohol. We had discussions here about how some parents think it is perfectly acceptable to bring alcohol to ball games. Parents encourage their children to go to Under 21 Clubs instead of supporting the School District's decision to enforce Snowball guidelines. We have Blaise's infamous "21 Club." In the Municipal budget, $12,000 has been set aside to count deer, yet how much has been allocated to drug enforcement?
One "anonymous" commenter here announced that we need to eradicate the deer. Every single one. I believe we need to eradicate the drug dealers. They have moved into Mt. Lebanon and our kids are dying. Yes, folks, drug dealers are right here in this Norman Rockwell painting.
Upon news of recent drug overdoses, I called my children just to hear their voices. When I told my son about the bad heroin that has hit Mt. Lebanon, he said that there is no such thing as good heroin. It is heroin. My daughter reminded me of classmates who died from drug overdoses. This has been going on for years.
I continued at the podium to say that the commissioners have ongoing discussions about Sports Advisory Boards and Joint Maintenance Agreements. I asked them when they were going to take off their blinders and look around. When will we have a Drug Advisory Board? I asked if we could take Kristen Linfante's $12,000 budgeted deer survey and put it towards drug enforcement.
Whatever Mt. Lebanon has been doing, it isn't working. Our kids are dying. Thankfully, Kelly Fraasch has stepped up (again) to take on this mission. As the newly appointed school board liaison, Kelly met with Josephine Posti, the commission liaison, to discuss the drug problem in Mt. Lebanon. In her latest post, The concerns about drug use in Mt. Lebanon, Kelly shares how the Municipality and School District will join forces to form a drug task force to "send a message to the street that Mt. Lebanon is no longer open for business" as Josephine mentioned in her report last night to the school board.
I want to thank Kelly for taking on this serious issue and bringing it to the School District. Finally, the discussion is getting away from sports, turf, and deer. I also want to thank the School District for working with the Commission. In my mind, this is the number one issue in Mt. Lebanon.
109 comments:
Well let's see...
We already have First Fridays.
The Beer & Chili Cookoff.
Raise a glass for the library.
What ever could we possibly come up with to combat heroin?
Brats 'n Brew in the Park sounds appropriate.
How about a good old Norwegian-style Food & Wine Festival featuring Marinated Salmon and Venison Stew.
We have the deer and with a proper wine list it could be the social event of the year. Sure to be featured on the Seen pages of mtl magazine, I'll bet.
All kidding aside... this and underage drinking are serious issues. Can we find solutions that don't feature "feelin' groovy" as an example for our kids?
Just a thought.
While I don't disagree that this is an issue, PA must not consider it to be one, since they are now contemplating legalizing marijuana.
To answer Elaine's question, I believe $836,050 has been allocated to the drug task force (per the 2012 budget report).
When my oldest daughter was at Mellon, she shared with me that several girls she knew were going out with boys and smoking pot. This went on for several years with the result that 2 of the girls were shooting heroin at the park when they were in high school, resulting in their
arrests. Some observations when my daughter was at Mellon: 1. Quite a few parents stopped checking on what their kids were doing and with whom. 2. Parents not checking to see if their child was properly supervised with other parents when their kids got together. 3. Parents leaving their middle school kids at home while they went away for the weekend.
My rules for both my kids were: 1. I meet with other parents face to face to establish ground rules prior to kids visiting with other kids (also checked to see if parents had same values as our family). 2. If invited to party, I went to the door and if no adult parent present, my child came back home with me. 3. My kids could socialize with other kids in age appropriate activities,
preferably in group setting (e.g. church). I decided what was appropriate, not my kids. 4. My kids had a curfew and if it was broken, they lost 1 or more privileges. Period. This was no discussion about the ground rules. Neither of my kids got into drugs or alcohol. I kept them very busy so they did not have time to get into trouble!
Many parents don't realize that once kids hit middle school, they need more supervision, not less. Parenting is hard work and doesn't stop when they get to middle. It all boils down to good parenting skills and setting a good role model.
1:44 I believe the effort to legalize marijuana in PA is being being presented by a Philadelphia democrat focused not on the drug problem but rather for finding more sources of tax revenue.
3:08 is correct. Perhaps this is why Lebo is so focused on tax revenue? Wink, wink.
Mount Lebanon will not be "closed for business" until the dogs sniff the teachers cars the same as they do the kids cars in the high school lot.
Daylin Leach is a suburban Philly liberal progressive democrat.
Apparently he said: “For the past 75 years, our marijuana policy has been foolish, costly and destructive, and it must end". During the week of January 10th Daylin Leach proposed a bill in the Pennsylvania State Senate that would legalize marijuana consumption for those 21 years of age and older.
"We have spent billions of dollars investigating, prosecuting, incarcerating and monitoring millions of our fellow citizens who have hurt no one, damaged no property, breached no peace. Their only ‘crime’ was smoking a plant which made them feel giddy."
Perhaps our newly elected state senator and fellow democrat will show him the newspaper clippings of a terrible Mt. Lebanon tragedy several years ago caused in part by plant induced giddiness.
4:30, Cope was found not guilty of driving under the influence of marijuana.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/driver-convicted-in-joggers-death-316411/
Thank you 4:56. Read your attached article to the end.
"Mr. Cope was also convicted by the judge of a less serious DUI offense for having marijuana in his system, and three summary vehicular offenses: reckless driving, failure to stop and failure to yield to pedestrians."
This was on WTAE just a few minutes ago:
http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Parents-share-pain-as-heroin-overdose-deaths-keep-climbing/-/10927008/18986578/-/x95mtdz/-/index.html
I agree with 4:30 PM on the Cope case. That is a bad intersection---drivers coming up Beadling cannot see on the right because of the terrain and the same land blocks vehicles from pedestrians' views.
There should be a stop light there, as well as one at Beadling and Cedar.
Left-hand turners face a nightmare getting out of Beadling at both places.
5:42 absolutely. It is a dangerous intersection, made so much more by distractions like alcohol, drugs or texting.
Were the 3 summary driving infractions caused in part by the residual affects of marijuana.
Thank you 5:32. Mr. Cope was foudn not guilty of vehicular homicide while under the influence.
While he was found guilty of driving under the influence, the same influence did not rise to the level of causing the vehicular homicide tragedy, according to the court ruling.
Joe Frank, former racket boss of Homestead, hoodlum, slugger, bootlegger, jury fixer, drug peddler and hophead was Mt. Lebanon's first heroin addict.
He was convicted February 2, 1935 of possessing and selling heroin. He resided at 945 Academy place, and owned the Bev-O-Matic vending machine company, and went to jail for evading $18,747 in income taxes on December 11, 1956. This undesirable citizen would be the first of many in the history of Mt. Lebanon.
A member of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department told me at the commission meeting that our kids have quite a bit of disposable income and that the dealers are in Mt. Lebanon. The kids don't have to leave Mt. Lebanon. And as Josephine Posti said last night, there are users that are her age and older. Heroin is cheaper than marijuana. Heroin is the problem. Whoever sent in the article from WTAE, thank you. This is so sad.
Elaine
http://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/directors-page/messages-director/2013/01/marijuanas-lasting-effects-brain
"Unfortunately, the proportion of American teens who believe marijuana use is harmful has been declining for the past several years, which has corresponded to a steady rise in their use of the drug, as shown by NIDA’s annual Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. Since it decreases IQ, regular marijuana use stands to jeopardize a young person’s chances of success in school. So as another school year begins, we all must step up our efforts to educate teens about the harms of marijuana so that we can realign their perceptions of this drug with the scientific evidence."
So by all means, let's legalize pot so that our kids can further rationalize it's use because their parents do it! Let's legalize heroin too.
Unfortunately we've gone off on a tangent. Posti and Fraasch are right in shining a light on the problems here with youth drug use.
Jo Posti did suggest the municipality convert the ice rink into a methadone clinic in 2005:
"So what am I suggesting? Well, since it's unlikely that we'll ever do anything that's actually useful with the ice rink, like make it into a methadone clinic or a W Hotel, I suppose we keep paying to have it resurfaced, pay for new Zambonis and continue to upgrade the AC and refrigeration when necessary."
http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2005/08/recreating-recreation.html
6:25 let's convert it to an opium den!
That way when someone ask: "its 11 o'clock do you know where your children are?"
We can say: "sure they're down at the old ice rink gettin' high!"
I think this is such an important issue. Kids and adults are really struggling in our community. Maybe if we take this more seriously our kids will too. I don't want to find my kid dead in her bedroom like the mother shared on WTAE tonight.
When my kid was in middle school and asked to go to lebo ice rink I would take her. I later found out that lots of kids were dropped off only to leave the rink as soon as mommy drove away. Kids would head to a party or onto the baseball field to smoke pot and do other inappropriate things. Always being back at the ice rink to be picked up after the skating session was over. Mommy never knew what was going on. The ice rink people knew this was going on as well. Not sure if they did anything about it. You have to know where your kids are or bad things may happen.
9:17 You cannot always know where your kids are. Bad things can happen when you know where they are as well.
Back in the '70's we used to go to the Lebo football games and smoke weed in the park. Daylight savings time was extended so we would smoke weed as we walked to school since it was dark. Kids can do drugs anywhere. As it happens most of us turned out ok.
9:50 No, I wasn't speaking about heroin. What I was saying is that you can't control for every moment of your kid's life. No matter what you do, you don't always have control. I was responding to 9:17. I will take the high road and not name call like you did. I consider myself a gentleman....as to you????
A good first step toward dealing with this concern for our youth, one that affects every one of us in one way or another whether it is the sadness in seeing others lose their kids, the resources involved in the judicial system dealing with the issue or the crime that goes along with it, would be for the people who posted here to spend some time getting up to speed on substance abuse addiction. Seriously, go to Gateway and interview some therapists before you do more damage than good.
2:18’s comments are an example of the complete lack of understanding of what is going on. Yes, 2:18 may have done all they could to parent their kids but so did many other parents whose kids have fallen into the trap. Addicts often have genetic predisposition to addiction and other ignored or undiagnosed underlying mental health issues like depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD or trauma. Psychiatrists often spend less than 10 minutes actually talking with patients before writing a prescription, and the prescription may not be appropriate. Oh, and marijuana is a drug – one of which is now being laced with heroin.
Narrow minded and uninformed opinions are part of the problem. Think, how is being judgmental toward other parents going to support them or encourage them to share their experience so that others may catch a problem before it is too late?
Sorry, 2:18, for someone who claims his or her church life made a difference; it didn’t appear to teach you about compassion or being non-judgmental. Heard this one? “By the grace of God go I”.
10:24 PM, I am talking about people dying. This isn't the 70's. And to say that most of us turned out OK is just sugar coating the problem.
Elaine
http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_752089.html#axzz2LRbg5Q00
Another story on drugs from last night. School district offering free drug test kits to parents.
Elaine,
Thank you for taking this on as well. Kelly and Jo doing something will at least raise parental awareness that these drugs are easily available in our community and they cost less than marijuana.
That education of parents will do a lot to raise awareness.
It's also incumbent upon our police department, local magistrate, and referral services to work together to enforce existing laws and ensure users, dealers, and suppliers of heroin are punished appropriately.
To this point, I am not sure that coordination of efforts has taken place to a level that would discourage both drug use and drug pushing in Mt. Lebanon.
Kudos to our elected leaders who have decided it is time to take this fight head on. Our children cannot be expected to battle the pushers alone. They need help from anyone who can give it.
I would like to see students included in this task force. They know who the dealers are. Is there some way to include them and not put them in harm's way?
Elaine
8:11 AM, you know it's not really free, right?
Does anyone remember the board meeting where a gentleman walked up to the microphone in the middle of discussions on the high school project or turf or some such thing.
He was a little miffed. He said he had moved to MTL from a Pittsburgh neighborhood to get his daughter a better education and get her away from the city drug environment.
He was miffed because he said the availability of drugs in the high school according to his daughter were worse than in the city schools. He also claimed the kids all knew who the dealers were.
The group that likes to snicker from the cheap seats, as Elaine experience, performed their usual antics and the board quickly moved to other topics.
I believe Posti or Kubit were president at the time.
Mental health issues need to be addressed before any sustantive changes in drug use are noticed.
Hate to burst everyone's bubble about yet another baloney feel-good speech from some local elected person but here's the reality: drugs have been in and around this community for decades. Unless the plan is to put up gates at all the major intersections and search every vehicle entering the land of Oz, and closing down the T, and ensuring nobody ever leaves the community either in a car or on foot, drugs will continue to find their way here. It starts with enforcement of existing laws (like so many other ills in our country). Start maximizing the punishments provided for by law instead of the hugs-not-drugs crap (you listening, Blaise?).
Then hold parents accountable. Your kid has heroin in the car yet Dad's name is on the title? Then hit Dad with some kind of punishment, too. Send a clear message that when one decides to make a choice, there are consequences.
Parents, stop being such pansies. This isn't California. Discipline your damn kids instead of being their friend. You can be their buddy when they're grown and making real-life decisions. You brought the child into the world. So do what's right and ensure they walk the straight and narrow(and yes, I'm advocating for putting your foot in their rear when they're out of line). Oh, boo-hoo, mommy yelled at me...wah, daddy took away my soccer and lacrosse and xbox...Yep! It works.
Finally, exactly how many Lebo kids have died from heroin overdoeses in the last five years? The last ten years? Why is Posti deflecting the issue from her lack of fiscal sanity to the drug problem that's existed for years? Gee, JoPo, thanks to you and your crooked cronies taxing the hell out of the community for your silly ego-high project, we can't afford extra cops. Id' much rather we'd spent tens of millions on those guys. But then, you wouldn't get credit for that, would you..please do us all a favor and shut it. Then go away.
9:51 AM, every meeting in the last 3 years has been recorded and placed online.
http://www.lebocitizens.com/Lebo_Citizens/Podcasts/Podcasts.html
Feel free to listen to them and let us know the date of the meeting.
I have volunteered in various ways over the past 10+ years for Sojourner House, a residential addiction treatment facility in Pittsburgh for women and their children and have been on the Board for a few years now. Drug use has infiltrated our suburban communities and the face of addicted women has changed from crack-addicted African American city dwellers to heroin-addicted Caucasian suburbanites. A friend of mine serves as Chaplain at the county jail and he has been saying for years that an addict can quickly get anything they want in Mt. Lebanon. Our community is no different than other relatively affluent communities that have been targeted by drug dealers.
Recently, I completed a mission outreach project for Lydia’s Place, a support program for recently incarcerated women and children to transition into productive daily life. One of the programs it offers is drug and alcohol counseling because most of the time, drugs have lead the mother to jail.
From what I have learned, heroin addiction is an epidemic. Usually a person starts out taking pain pills to experiment. Many of these are readily available in the household medicine cabinets and they are often prescribed for kids for wisdom teeth extractions or sports injuries, not to mention the parents’ aches and pains. If a person has a genetic predisposition to addiction, “addict brain”, that initial experience or experimentation can awaken dopamine receptors, and the underlying mental illness or addictive tendency can affect how the brain responds to the substances. One person may take a medication and feel no propensity to take more, but another can develop a propensity for more in a very short period of time, especially if a person finally feels relief from some untreated underlying mental health problem when taking the pills.
The individual who has a predisposition toward addiction can quickly get hooked on the painkillers and the more they take, the more they crave. Cravings for stronger substances kick in. The addict seeks stronger pills and also begins to crush and snort them for a faster high. The prescription pills on the street are less available and so heroin becomes a low cost substitute. It costs about the same for a heroin high these days, as does a trip to Starbucks. Heroin can be smoked, snorted and eventually is injected for the fastest high. It doesn’t take long for an addict to reach this level of desperation.
The heroin appetite increases constantly and so the demand for daily consumption leads the addict to desperate measures just to keep going because without the drug they become “dope sick”, or unable to function. What used to be a “high” when using the drugs becomes a necessary evil to function at all. The road for the addict is horrendous and, without proper treatment, eventually leads to incarceration or death. I would be willing to bet that the large majority of inmates in our jails are addicts.
I applaud the efforts of our elected officials who are researching the problem and attempting to find solutions to protect our youth. Perhaps as a result of their efforts, our community will start to understand and recognize this problem in their own kids as a result.
-Charlotte Stephenson
11:07
I don't know where you get the cynical view point you do but heroin use is on the rise in Mt. Lebanon. It's cheap and easy for our teenage population to get.
I'd rather we address this issue in its infancy (although it may already be past "infant" now) and educate parents about the warning signs of heroin use and addiction.
A well-informed parent is a well-armed parent in the battle against drug and alcohol addiction.
You ask how many people have died in Mt. Lebanon? I know of one that did just recently. I know of another perhaps a year ago. I personally know numerous families (perhaps 8-10) who have children who have gone to or are currently in rehab trying to quit heroin.
I'd rather we address it than sweep it under the "unicorn" rug while pretending it doesn't happen in the bubble.
My son tells me there are some students in his class who have gone to drug rehab. There have been at least two deaths in Mt. Lebanon families in the past three weeks.
11:10 I'm fairly certain the man spoke prior to the date the recording started.
Wow, 10:42, I must have touch a nerve. I don't sit in judgement at all. Our blendeded family on both sides have seen it all. We've dealth with divorce, mental health issues, addiction, rehab, dysfunctional relatives, theft, car accidents, death, prostitution, physical and mental abuse, you name it. In addition I've taught in the city schools, worked with prisoners, sex offenders, and people out on probation, so I have seen and experienced a lot more than other folks. My point is addictions are very complicated issues and there is no easy answer. I've seen too many people in denial hoping it will all go away. So, yes I'm a very compassionate person. I've worked with people with all kinds of addictions, not just heroin. Counseling works. I urge all parents to reach out and get help, so, yes, I do know what I'm talking about! 2:18 PM
Another story, in the P-G: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/former-pharmacist-faces-drug-charges-676134/
Pain killers lead to heroin addiction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/business/in-rethinking-the-war-on-drugs-start-with-the-numbers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Interesting article. Suggest more police and enforcement funding isn't the answer. The kids perception of drug use must change.
2:18 - You have seen it all according to your second post and it's good of you to urge parents to reach out for help. The problem is, the scrutiny they are under when their child has a problem (your first post is an example of that), inhibits any parent from wanting to reach out for fear that they will be blamed for what has happened to their child. Your message pointed the finger at the parents.
What I am wondering is, your first post puts the responsibility on the parents for monitoring their kids all of the time.What do you suggest they do when the kids are buying drugs at school or getting them on school-related outings? Parents don't have complete control 24/7.
What do you suggest?
Perhaps we could do something to keep kids' minds off drugs. Maybe upgrade our athletic fields so they can be used more often? That would seem to be a good idea. Kids who play sports tend to have lower drug usage rates.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/228191-are-the-kids-who-play-sports-less-likely-to-do-drugs/
Drug abuse, mental illness, dysfunctional families are bound by shame and secrecy. The shame is being in denial and not seeking help and sacrificing lives. We are all imperfect. We all have problems. Nobody has to be a scapegoat. We don't worry about society blaming us. One does not have to own being blamed. We don't worry about what others think of us. If other people have problems with who we are, that is THEIR problem. We do what is right for our situation. Drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, and disabilities crosses across all classes of people. The issues do not discriminate. It is everywhere. We do not care what other people think of us. Out self esteem is not based on other's opinions. If yuu like us, fine, if you don't, there's no love lost there. You weren't our friend to begin with. We move on. It's difficult and painful to work through these issues. It's not easy. One has to persevere and look at the big picture. It takes a lot of time, commitment, and patience as well as working through changes. One learns to make better choices to do things differently. The whole needs to be involved. I've seen to many parents blame the child. When kids act out, it is a symptom of dysfunction going in the family. There is no shame in Sking for help and admitting there is a problem. There is so much help out there. Counseling, rehab, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, to name a few. One has to swallow their pride and reach out. Bite the bullet so to speak. Guilt is a terrible thing. We can Iive with our choices as we did all that we could and them some!
Here's a timely bit of news published today by "The Raw Story" web site, and referenced by the Reason Foundation:
Students denied financial aid after drug convictions often never go to college
"Young people convicted of drug charges are at higher risk of never attending college at all, thanks in part to a law blocking federal financial aid following a drug conviction, according to research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research this month."
For the rest of the article click HERE.
@8:04 livestrong.com? Are you sure you want to point us to Lance Armstrong's Live Strong? Do you see the irony here?
Try this Web site http://pd.mtlebanon.org/blotter.html See how many jocks are listed. Those arethe ones 18 or older.
8:04 are you serious, keep ou kids minds off drugs by upgrading athletic fields!
How about letting kids stretch their minds and social skills on their own.
Learning success and failure without parents interfering with every minute of their lives. Let them wonder, learn how to get along with peers. Let them use their imaginations to slay dragons, defeat bad guys, win fair damsels, turn frogs into prince!
All without the prying interference of parent that feel it is their obligation to make every moment of their kids lives a surreal pleasure dome.
It's no wonder kids turn to drugs when they arrive in high school when they realize they are on the doorstep of the rest of their lives and mommy and daddy really can't guarantee they'll be the next superstar jock.
Pathetic 8:04. You want to subject our children to a surreal world of artificial grass, where no one wins, no one loses and no one ever gets their hands dirty even when they want to.
8:04 please read the linked article below and see if you still believe in more and more organized sports.
http://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/3-4-interview-marano-skenazy.pdf
"Why parents should stop overprotecting kids and let them play"
8:04 Really? OMG!Please step out of the way.
Ah yes, 8:04.
We'll call your solution the Alice B. Toklas approach to youth sports and recreation.
Just bake a little "artificial grass" into the mix and all will be right with the world.
I agree with you 8:04. More athletic opportunities will keep our kids busy and healthy at the same time.
8:26 yeah good idea. Drag middle and high school kids down to Middle and Wildcat Fields at 10 or 11 pm every night so you don't have to worry that they may wander into a situation where they'll need to make a responsible choice without mommy and daddy's guidance.
Get 'em up and off to school where the district can babysit them and then when they get home-- don't take your eyes off them for a minute.
No wonder these kids are turning drugs. It's an escape.
I dropped my son off at school today and saw a boy who was higher than a kite. Clearly freshly stoned. My son pointed out the area right outside of the school where the kids get high before school. Now, if I can tell he was stoned, what do the teachers do when he walks in the room?
What's wrong with riding bikes, climbing trees, running through the woods, organizing a pick-up game of baseball, football with your neighborhood pals.
No, no that's not healthy, that's not athletic enough for mommy and daddy.
No one suggested that 9:07. I would suggest you are paranoid. Please seek mental help.
This is starting to sound like a commission meeting. Throw in some talk about deer and it will be perfect. Sports is not the solution. Look at this District Policy
NON-SCHOOL RELATED DRUG AND ALCOHOL VIOLATIONS Kids have consequences even if they participate in all the activities listed. Keep those blinders on, buddy.
9:12 AM, would you be referring to the area across the street from the high school on Lebanon Avenue? Readers know that I went to school in Mt. Lebanon. That was the place to go back in the 70's for that sort of thing. Also popular through the years, was to announce when locker inspections were going to occur. The District would politely give a heads up to students.
Elaine
Sports are a good distraction until the full team is pressured by a few teammates to get high. My friend's daughter says that most of the users are athletes. What does that say? I know another mom that pulled her kid from a sport because the team was always getting high together. Sports are not the saving grace of the drug issue. It maybe part of the problem if coaches aren't enforcing school rules.
Didn't the LaCrosse Team get busted before graduation last year ?
8:04 Please contact any rehab facility and make an appointment to interview a therapist or administrator. Then find out how many high school star athletes have been taken down by heroin. Then decide if you really believe that more athletic fields is the solution.
Then what were you suggesting 9:25?
Did you read this article submitted earlier?
http://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/3-4-interview-marano-skenazy.pdf
What did you think, especially Skenazy's comments on organized sports on page 12?
No your intellectual contribution is to suggest someone that has a differing opinion is to tell them to get mental help.
Nice neighborly thing right?
9:25 - This is the MTLSD 2012-13 budget by sport, descending dollars:
Football 248,801
Athletic Office 219,742
Basketball 152,954
Track 141,823
General-All Sports 91,978
Soccer 78,480
Wrestling 63,994
Lacrosse 60,438
Swimming 55,856
Volleyball 49,077
Baseball 38,380
Cross Country 35,549
Softball 34,563
Golf 31,127
Tennis 27,939
Field Hockey 20,754
Rifle 16,988
Cheerleaders 16,602
Ice Hockey 3,000
Crew 3,000
So, for this year alone, the community is investing almost $1.4 million just in the school district to keep our kids occupied and healthy in athletics. Who knows the spending in YSA and other programs!
What do you suggest we spend to cut into the drug problem... $2 million? How about $5 million? Maybe $10 million will do it.
What your bottom line? Where's your evidence that adding more sports will have an impact?
Come on offer up your research. I'd love to see it.
I have stayed out of this debate for two reasons. First, I have no personal knowledge or expertise to add to the discussion and I am not going to pretend to be an expert. Secondly, despite the best intentions of this post, it has - like so many others - turned into a slew of anonymous personal attacks and cheap shots.
However, I do not believe that any discussion regarding substance abuse in our community should spiral into a debate about fields. Artificial turf will not curtail drug use in Mt Lebanon or anywhere else for that matter. However, I do feel very strongly that if our community and its elected officials, are serious about combating substance abuse, they will find far more allies in the youth sports associations then they will enemies. Just a thought.
Dave Franklin
And that $1.4 million doesn't include marching band, orchestra, jazz band, chorus, theatre, dance, the science club, chess club, yearbook, newspaper, art club, math club, day camp and every other program.
Funny thing isn't it. With all these adult supervised activities - according to the police department drugs are a growing problem with our youth.
Thanks, Dave. I appreciate that. Heck, I will work with anyone on this issue. It is OUR problem.
Elaine
As far as I know, the most recent dance at the High School went off with out any blatant issues, at least none making the newspaper. But one parent made me aware of a change in addition to the "no grinding" rule. I was told that the dances are no longer "lock-ins", at least this last one was not. So, the kids can leave basically anytime after they arrive as opposed to having to stay until the end. This sounds to me like the district is saying that we really don't care what you do, as long as it is not under our roof. Has anyone else heard of that policy change?
Dave, no one that I can see in this chain has said that we won't find allies in youth sports to fight the growing drug problem.
As 10:31 and 10:58 point out, there is plethora of adult supervised programs, athletic and otherwise, to keep our kids occupied. Personally, parental interence in some of our programs creates more problems than it solves. but I think there is something else at work here.
In the linked article offered by 9:53 one of the authors replies: "Appealing to parental fears is rampant in the entire culture. At this
moment in the United States, we are playing to human weaknesses and
human vulnerabilities, not to strengths. We are not promoting strengths, not celebrating character development. We act as if children are born weak and can’t do a thing without direct parental intervention."
Then further on: "AJP: How can parents keep appropriate distance and still help kids come up
with ideas for [free] play?
Skenazy: My kids are really bad at coming up with something to do on their own. And part of the reason is that they rarely have opportunities to try. If they participate in an after-school activity like soccer, the coach organizes it: “Now it’s time to run; now it’s time to kick; now it’s time for your organic snack.” And so they associate play with something that’s compulsory, almost
like school. It’s like a class where the activities are dictated, and the kids follow
orders, and then they’re done."
This is my take from the article and how it applies to the drug problem.
When our kids are left unsupervised, they resort to things that make them feel good, that entertains them. Some resort to alcohol and drugs. Its like a coach, take this you'll be funny. You'll laugh, you'll be a star (in your own mind).
Isn't that the way it should be 12:24?
The district sets the standards and while the kids are in the school they abide by them.
Personally, I think by time a kid arrives at high school they are on the path to accepting responsibility for their own well-being.
Its tough love, but hey at some point they've got to learn that if you play with fire... you might get burnt.
Teaching that lesson isn't the district's responsibility.
So let change up the conversation a bit. Being the parent of a child in the high school, what do you do when your child tells you that one of his friends is a pothead? You are not friends with the parents, but you know then to say a polite hello. Do you tell them?
1:26 that is indeed a toughie.
Hopefully, and that is a BIG hope, the kids friends are on his case to straighten up, rather than abandoning him. Or maybe they could meet privately with the parents if they're close to let them know as his friend they're worried about him.
As a parent I'd like to know, but sure as shootin', to be perfectly honest, I'm betting my first reaction would be denial. No parent wants to admit they don't know their own kid.
There is another side... maybe the parents know, are embarrassed and trying to work thru it.
Sorry, don't have an answer. Maybe someone from Outreach or the police dept has some advice.
1:26
You'd better believe I'd tell them. A friendship may be lost, but more importantly a life may be saved.
1:26 you broached the question... what do you think would be the proper response to your hypothetical situation?
1:26 Absolutely without hesitation. Wouldn't you want to know? It takes a village!
Who was the village for the parents generation?
The Village of Salem burned witches.
Yes, it would be wise to find a way to tell them but by ending any association with the parents and possibly ending your kid's relationship with his friend you maybe hurting the situation.
If the kid feels betrayed by his 'normal' friends you may drive him deeper into the drug world.
Perhaps the parents abuse the kid and now that you've embarrassed them, they damage him even more.
I don't think there is a black and white answer here. If I were that concerned I'd get some expert advice.
If one buys into the "It takes a village to raise a child" philosophy then one must accept that a child is the responsibility of the community in toto; a collectivist approach that makes the child a "subject" instead of a person. Assuming Mt. Lebanon has a population of 33,000 (just to round it out), would a mother and father really want 32,997 other people to have a say in how their child is raised? And how many of those 32,997 people would relish the idea of being placed in loco parentis. Some might; but they would be in the minority.
What it takes to raise a child is the willingness of mom and dad to get the best advice available from a limited number of trustworthy people when situations arise that may be beyond their capabilities. Too much advice is the same as no advice at all. Parents who succumb to the "village" model may end up unable to make tough decisions (or worse - letting the community raise their kids for them), and with kids who feel that they have "village idiots" as parents.
Richard, what is interesting is 2:23's response "absolutely, without hesitation".
Not the slightest concern that their actions could possibly have a negative impact in some unforeseen way.
Maybe the boy's mother bipolar, suicidal or a drug user herself. Who after hearing from a vague acquaintance that her son is an embarrassment decides to end her already fragile life.
People like 2:23 that see life in their pre-determined absolutes scare the bejeezus outta me. Wonder if this is the mom whose daughter thought preschoolers needed protection from artwork containing a naked breast?
Richard, isn't public school all about educating the kids to community standards, not just parent standards?
What we have instead is, the kids are being educated to MLEA, PSEA and NEA standards.
5:46 So it would be better for the possibly fragile mother you describe to find her child dead in his/her bedroom?
I am sure she will be happy to hear that people knew and never said anything all because they were worried about her fragile state.
When my stepdaughter was age 12, she got involved with drugs and prostitution. Her mother basically abandoned the three kids, as she was mored concerned with other men and making money. Mother was never home and kids were on their own. We found out when daughter revealed her addiction, etc..., to another relative. We're we're called. Tried one rehab and mother sabotaged it. Sent her to another in Arizona. It worked. Mother could not interfere. daughter was emancipated at age 17 and went to halfway house in Colorado. She is in a happy marriage with one, employed and works with others with drug and alcohol addiction issues. She's been there for 25 years and doing very well.
One cannot assume that both parents are dysfunctional. We were so glad to learn of her situation and could step in and take care of her.
8:11 no you're right... It'd be better for the kid to come home and find his mom dead.
Are you really that omnipotent?
You really have all the answers to life's problems.
Kelly and Josephine have open a discussion on the drug problem. I'll let them know to not waste their time, because you have all the answers.
8:55 PM, kids are dying. Do you not get that? Kelly and Josephine are working on getting a group of professionals who will advise us on how to handle this and other situations. Can you stop being a jerk? I have not published other comments which are far worse.
Elaine
8:32 your step daughter had a problem and you were called... Presumably by the relative she confessed too.
If she was your step-daughter, that would make your husband... ta da... her father. (of course in today's society I guess the step-daughters mother could've been married to your wife - but that's another story.) Who else should the relative call first?
Quite a bit different from a mere "aquaintance" telling parents their kid is a pothead, because their kid said so.
The drugs have been around since before Mrs. Posti graduated from the HS in 1986. The kids know who the sellers are.
What is different is that the dealers have come into Mt. Lebanon and are selling heroin to our kids.
Elaine
Stop it! Stop the back and forth barbs! I appreciate 8:32's input. It had a happy ending. This isn't about their parenting skills. This isn't about their choice of partners. This is about our kids on heroin. We're not talking happy endings.
Elaine
I'm support Posti's and Fraasch's efforts!
I'm not sure kids dying of drug overdose is of epidemic proportions here... yet.
But it does seem like drug and alcohol abuse is growing and reaching down to younger and younger kids.
I'm all for the effort, I believe you mentioned Elaine, a drug advisory board or task force. Dave Franklin offers athletics, ministers get involved. We have Outreach. For some reason though it appears the problem still grows.
I don't have any solutions. My idea follows with the supposition made in the earlier article offered.
My only concern is with untrained parents getting involved over theirs heads with other families.
I like that you brought it back to "a group of professionals" advising the community! I know I'm not one.
You're right! Parents need to be more involved and know what their kids are doing. Check up on their schedules, learn the red flags for addiction and educate yourselves! Get to know other parents and their values. Are the other parents home and with their kids? Signs of addiction are: missing money and jewelry in the house, mood swings, anger issues, not bathing on a regular basis, poor grades, lying, disorganized behavior, isolation, hiding in their room, can't account for time out of the house, not willing to spend time with family, cop outs and excuses, needle tracks, bloodshot eyes, drunk behavior, physical disorganization. These are a few of the signs!
The question was posed at 1:26 - would you tell parents you barely know that their kid was a pothead based on info from your kid.
My answer remains no I wouldn't. I'd try to find some professional service or advice before acting on anything like that. I'd pay closer attention, try to connect with the kid, but wouldn't rush into a confrontation with the parents.
8:55 no we don't have all the answers to the Mount Lebanon problem(s) but we do know what Mrs. Posti and Mrs. Fraasch are discussing is good for our kids.
For me, doing what is good for the kids is the right thing to do. Thank you, Jo and Kelly.
I think this should come back to the point.
My hope is that this discussion will at the very least bring about the following:
1. Awareness by parents that there is a drug/heroin problem in our youth population
2. Education of teachers, counselors, parents, and students of the symptoms of someone being high
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
I filled in the first two. I am wondering what other people's thoughts are on the other points of a top ten list. Help me out.
I hope those lurking school board directors realize that they need to establish an intervention protocol. Perhaps the municipality and the school district should consider setting up an anonymous hotline for gathering information on the dealers.
Elaine
I posed the question to see what the reaction would be. Although it is a true current situation, it is a situation I have been in many times with my children’s friends. There is a child in middle school who has been selling drugs since 6th grade, he is now in 8th. The point has been made, “the kids know who the dealers are”, they also know who the users are. Do we not say something for fear of retribution for ourselves or our children? Do we not say something for fear that our child is lying just to hurt someone? Do we say something and risk embarrassing the parents? or worse yet we learn, that in our estimation, they are not good parents to begin with? or worse yet for fear that they may harm themselves because of this news, and we be held responsible?
I posed the question so you could see the magnitude of the issue. Our own pride, standing in the community, self worth, is tied up in this issue. Am I only responsible for myself?, or is this a village? I believe Mr. Gideon is right, you need to surround yourself with a number of trustworthy people, and then you need to be willing to listen. Easier said then done for many.
How have I handled this situation in the past? I have done the straight up tell the parents, it did not go well and we are now only on polite hello terms, although they did end up helping their child and he is doing wonderfully. In another instance, I told a good friend of theirs, one concerned parent to another, and left it with them to pass on. Don’t know the outcome. And with many I have done nothing. I think about those children from time to time, check in with my children to see if the status has changed, and pray to see them in 15 years married, with a great job and little ones running around, because the concern will never go away until that happens. And if it doesn’t happen, I will be left with that, forever wondering if I could have made a difference.
My son wants to go see his first rap concert, the music if filled with drugs and sex. My son says that the lyrics are “real life”, he said he is face to face with drugs on a daily basis at the high school. We have a huge problem here people. It is time to put your embarrassment aside, get mad, and get involved!
9:15 AM, from what I understand, the problem is not exclusive to our youth. I am sure MRTSA can weigh in on this. Perhaps they can supply the numbers to the drug task force. Knowing how Kelly operates, she is probably on this already. She did spend an overnight shift with MRTSA.
Elaine
http://www.kellyfraasch.com/2013/02/07/public-safety-in-mt-lebanon-is-top-notch/
Elaine
Hate go sound like a broken record, but I think this article brings up some interesting topics.
http://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/3-4-interview-marano-skenazy.pdf
My opinion is that if we give the kids the tools to make smart decisions from the little pre-school ones up thru adulthood, we may head off problems before they start.
Will it eliminate all drug problems - certainly not.
I was at a policy committee meeting a year or so go, when there was discussion about adopting a concussion protocol. John Grogan was there, as well as Mary Birks, plus some parents who shared some personal experiences. Here is the result of that meeting. http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2395310382514169324#pendingcomments
I think a page dedicated to drug use is in order. The coaches, teachers, and staff need guidelines. How about staging an emergency drill using actors and see how it goes?
Elaine
There will be a brief discussion concerning the proposed drug task force at Monday's Commission Discussion Session. Thank you, Commissioners.
Elaine
Today's Trib:
http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3534008-74/heroin-police-cash#axzz2LkBHs6jM
Elaine,
While I agree that heroin is a concern, I would like to remind everyone that ar more children are dying from another epidemic. It is known as obesity and it impacts 1 in 3 american children.
Perhaps we should be focusing on more athletic activities?
2:31 PM. Absolutely. Let's start by eliminating student parking at the high school. Make kids walk to and from school every day.
Elaine
2:31 why stop with the kids, heart disease is a problem for adults too. So is drunk driving.
From the Center for Disease Control:
"In 2010, 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (31%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.1
Of the 1,210 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2010, 211 (17%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.1 Of the 211 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2010, over half (131) were riding in the vehicle with the alcohol-impaired driver. In 2010, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That's one percent of the 112 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year. Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are often used in combination with alcohol."
Let's drop the legal limit to alcohol to zero. You drink you walk.
Any trip under 2 miles, kid or adult you walk!
We'll fix all of our problems!
I see what is going on here. Read Elaine LaBalme's article in MTL Magazine. She is a Roycroft Avenue resident who gets paid for her writing. http://lebomag.com/9844/healthy-kidshealthy-community/ She wrote about her neighbor and fellow Roycroft resident, Nancy Tashman and her business, "Family Wellness Makeover in Mt. Lebanon, which helps families achieve better health through sound diet and exercise programs. 'You look at our community and a lot of people appear to be at a healthy weight.' Sadly, that’s not the case in the region, which has high numbers of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol."
Sorry folks, but to me, heroin is the bigger problem here.
Elaine
Elaine Labalme? That name sounds familiar!
Isn't she the woman that argued in one of the Little Theatre meetings in 2007 or '08 for the $150 million high school plan. Plus, loudly admonished our board that they should be more like California school districts.
Fast forward to 2010.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/california-bankrupt
"Bob Herbert of the New York Times recently described California’s horrific budget crisis this way….
California has cut billions of dollars from its education system, including its renowned network of public colleges and universities. Many thousands of teachers have been let go. Budget officials travel the state with a glazed look in their eyes, having tried everything they can think of to balance the state budget. And still the deficits persist."
You can blow in our collective ears Ms. Labalme, but it may not be wise to follow you anywhere.
Yes, BFF to my so called commissioner, Kristen Linfante, another resident of Roycroft and neighbor of yet another Roycroft resident, President Elaine Cappucci. Both LaBalme and Linfante were featured in MTL Magazine for Real Lebo. Now, LaBalme is compensated for writing for Lebo and is promoting Roycroft resident, Tashman's business. Talk about one street trying to control Mt. Lebanon!
Let's try to stay on topic. This isn't about obesity. This is about our kids dying NOW, not thirty or forty years from now.
Elaine
2:31 hijacked the conversation I believe.
Plus, why wouldn't Ms. Labalme write an article on the Fraasch-Posti initiative on drugs and save the obesity article for another day?
@2:31
While I agree that obesity is a problem, it can be largely controlled through better eating and more activity. Organized sports and athletic fields do nto need to enter that conversation. At best they are 1% of a solution.
There are many problems surrounding drug use that affect the entire community. Not only does drug use destroy lives through addiction (much like obesity does but over a longer period of time) but drug addiction begets additional crimes related to violence, guns, theft, DUI's, etc.
I have seen numerous stories in local media about Mt. Lebanon break-ins in both homes and pharmacies that can easily be linked to drugs.
What I can't find is a story in Mt. Lebanon related to an obese person breaking into a house to make himself a ham sandwich, or breaking into a pharmacy to steal the chocolate bars, or stuffing himself with sugar and getting a DWI from elevated blood sugar levels, or robbing at gunpoint a person for their grocery bags.
So yeah, there is a reason the commission has focused on drugs instead of obesity. To most people I would think the priorities are obvious.
Sadly mt lebo cares more about its resale value than addressing drugs.
I think there are too many here who rather not discuss these issues cause it interferes with home values and sales sadly... Too many want to brush it under the rug. Wish I could move out of here. I am sickened by this attitude.
@11:14
In my Larry The Cable Guy voice...
"That was funny right there!"
What am I talking about? Nobody in "affluent" Mt. Lebanon knows who Larry the cable guy is!
Jeff Foxworthy?
You might be a Mt. Lebanon"neck" if you walk to school both ways in the snow uphill.
You might be a Mt. Lebanon"neck" if you paid twice as much for your highschool as anyone else "because you can".
You might be a Mt. Lebanon"neck" if you raise money for your teen outreach/anti-drug center by having a brewfest because "it doesn't happen here".
You might be a Mt. Lebanon"neck" if you wake up in November and see only one one Republican elected to the School Board and Commission.
11:11 AM, a little background...
Mt. Lebanon Brew Fest 2011 benefitted the Veterans Memorial. Somehow, when the PIO got involved with Mt. Lebanon Brew Fest 2012, proceeds benefitted the Veterans Memorial AND Outreach.
Elaine
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