Pot Brownies & Prescription Drugs in a Locker...What is the Big Deal???

What do you want your school known for?

On March 18, three students from New Milford High School were arrested on drug charges and accused of selling marijuana laced brownies at the school of brownies with marijuana baked into them, police said. One of the three had prescription in their locker for sale to others as well.  Superintendent of Schools Jean Ann Paddyfote said three New Milford High School underclassmen were facing expulsion for violating the school's drug and alcohol policy.

Not so funny now, especially if it is your kid or student

See Something, Hear Something, Say Something: The school's resource officer conducted an investigation because school authorities had learned a student was in possession of marijuana brownies and was trying to sell them to other students.   One youth had originally sold the brownies to a second youth, who brought the brownies into the school and sold them to a third youth, who in turn planned to sell them, police said. When the third youth was confronted by school authorities, prescription drugs were found in his locker, which the youth said he also had planned to try to sell to fellow students, police said.

The three male students -- aged 14, 15 and 16 -- are facing criminal charges including illegal possession of a controlled substance, illegal sale of a controlled substance, dispensing a narcotic and conspiracy to commit sale of narcotics.  All three were released into their parents' custody on written promise to appear Tuesday, March 31 in Danbury Juvenile Court.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. and the world, according to Drug Policy Alliance. There are roughly 750,000 people arrested for marijuana each year, the vast majority of them for simple possession. Though possession of marijuana at the age of 18 years and older in small amounts in Connecticut was decriminalized in 2011, intent to distribute for first-time offenders can mean up to 7 years of imprisonment, according to NORML.org, and violates New Milford High School's drug and alcohol policy.

Commentary:  When one hears a story like this there is a tendency to trivialize the event or even view it in a humorous way. However, these kids were distributing drugs in school to students who were witting or unwitting and one of them had prescription drugs in his school locker to distribute to students. Now consider those drugs going to YOUR CHILD, NIECE or NEPHEW, or GRANDCHILD…doesn’t seem trivial or humorous now. Remember, those kids are someone else’s child, niece or nephew, or grandchild. I am concerned that the adults who consider legalizing marijuana have not considered the impact on our children…

Additionally, those few “pot brownies” will cause those students to miss a week or two of school awaiting their expulsion hearing.  Missing a week or two of school will impact their grades for that marking period, GPA, and class standing. If these kids were on a sports team they will be kicked off of the team. These students will have a drug record in their file from high school and a life-long reputation and stigma that is tainted with drugs. Many parents will tell their kids to not hang out or associate with these kids who were associated with the pot brownies and prescription drugs. Will the parents just look at this as “kids will be kids” or will they realize that my kid now has a problem that is drug related and consider my kid may have a drug problem…or the start of one? How these parents and the school handles this incident can have a life altering impact on their future.

High School Student On Public Bus a Target of an Armed Assailant

THREATS AND ACTS OF VIOLENCE OUTSIDE SCHOOLS 

AFFECTS THOSE INSIDE SCHOOLS 

         On Oct 11, 2012 in Norwalk, Connecticut, a 21 year old man, Terrick "Scrap" Vanlierop, was arrested for allegedly repeatedly trying to board a Norwalk city bus to get to a high school student from Briggs High School that he allegedly had a dispute with. Vanlierop was also charged with shooting at another man on Woodward Avenue on the previous Monday afternoon. The man who was shot at said that as he was walking down Woodward Avenue and saw Vanlierop coming and was worried about Vanlierop's gang connections.  "This all is from an ongoing beef that started because of where I'm from. Because of where people live, there is an ongoing beef and people were getting shot and killed," he told police, the affidavit said. Vanlierop then pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired three shots at him. Norwalk Police found bullet holes in the siding of homes there and identified the shooter from a photo lineup.  Vanlierop was charged with criminal attempt at first-degree assault at his arraignment on Friday in a Norwalk court. He has three previous felony drug convictions on his record from 2009 and 2010, was ordered held on $91,000 bond.    

Points for Discussion:

• Acts of violence (random or planned) that occur in our cities can carry over into or near our school environment.
• June 2012, three Norwalk schools went into a lock-down after an alleged gang member was wounded nearby during a drive-by shooting. 
• Oct 11, 2012, a distraught boyfriend armed with a high powered rifle created a standoff in a neighborhood where an after school recreation center full of students was located.
• Gang activity is something that can "ebb and flow"and must be monitored by police, school resource officers (SRO), and the school (leaders, teachers, and students) community.  Violence can be triggered randomly (wearing the wrong colors, a perceived affront, etc.) so people must be alert.
• This armed violent offender was going after a high school student on a public bus – what if he had not been stopped...?
• While the bus this alleged assailant was trying to get on was a city bus it is still a threat to our students who ride those public buses. It could have very easily been a school bus, and where gang status is gained and increased by a gang member’s propensity and quickness for violence, the results could have been lethal.
• Capability developed by periodic and well planned drills allows local leaders to mitigate an incident, as well as to respond and recover more effectively reducing risk to students and faculty. 

SEE SOMETHING, HEAR SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING probably saved that high school student's life because someone stepped up and reported a previous crime.

3 Norwalk Public Schools Go into Lockdown Due to Nearby Gang Related Shooting

     At 1:40 pm on June 1, 2012, a 22-year-old city man was shot multiple times while walking on Grandview Avenue between Kellogg Street and Leuvine Street. It is believed by the media (The Hour) that the victim is a member of the MGs, a Meadow Gardens-based gang. A car drove by and someone shot at him multiple times. Residents reported hearing between four and seven shots. Police believe the shooter was in a gray, four-door Honda Civic with no front license plate. The car, described by witnesses as a 2006 or 2007 model, was seen speeding from the crime scene. The shooting was the second shooting in three days. A 19-year-old man was shot at the playground of the Meadow Gardens housing complex Wednesday night.
      The shooting happened just a few blocks from Jefferson Elementary School. Ponus Ridge Middle School and Jefferson and Kendall Elementary schools were locked down while the investigation was taking place. Shortly after receiving the initial call, police discovered that the crime scene was on Grandview Avenue, and the road was blocked off from Kellogg Street to Leuvine Street.
     Superintendent Susan Marks said it is standard procedure to lock down the schools during a police investigation of a violent incident that happened so close to a school. "As I understand, the police had a great presence at the school. We always stand down based on what the police direct us to do," said Marks. "Unfortunately we've done this before and our schools do know what to do." 


Points for Discussion:

• Executing a Lock Down to prevent violence from occurring or from spreading within a school OR a Lock Out to secure the school from violence entering the school are incident responses which require a simple plan, discussion, and practice drills to ensure you are capable.
• It is always good to review situations to discuss other related contingencies:
• What if the shooting victim stumbled into the school looking for help?
• What medical capability resides within the school while you awaited alerted 911 response?
• What if the kids were outside in post lunch recess and you heard gunshots? Drop and Cover and Reverse Evacuation back into the building?
• Do you plan for Crisis Recovery teams to help the students and staff recover from the incident?
• Conducting an After Action Review following the incident is critical to capturing vital lessons learned and shared with other schools throughout your district. 

WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL PREPAREDNESS, YOU "MAKE YOUR LUCK" BY RAISING EVERYONE'S AWARENESS OF THE TYPES OF INCIDENTS THAT CAN OCCUR AND PRACTICING THE RESPONSES THROUGH DRILLS. 

 

Mexican Cartels Recruiting American Children Part II - Elisabeth Mandala

Elisabeth Mandala, the Sugar Land high school senior found beaten to death in Mexico. Her body was returned to the United States with her family from Monterrey. Her body was found with two slain men in a truck in Mexico, near Monterrey. Friends described her earlier this week as a sweet and caring young woman, who loved to ride horses and participated in soccer and clubs at school. But she appeared to be living a double life. After her disappearance, her mother told police her daughter had wanted to be a coyote, a person who smuggles illegal immigrants into the U.S.


It's not known what Mandala's relationship was to the two men in the car. Police have said all three were beaten to death and at least one of the men had a criminal record, although they can't say what it was. On Thursday, the Mexican Office of the General Prosecutor said it had no information to provide on the case.

“She was the kind of person that you couldn't help but like, get along with or laugh with,” wrote school friend Amber Lucas, who said she had known Elisabeth since elementary school. “Elisabeth was an amazing friend, always there for people. She would do anything for a friend that needed her.” Ana Mandic, who has known Elisabeth since fourth grade, described her as a fun, conversational jokester. “She wasn't, at least I figured, the type to really hide anything,” Mandic said.

DRUG CARTELS AND GANGS EXPLOIT OUR CHILDREN (LIKE ELISABETH) BY ENTICING THEM WITH THE PROMISE OF EASY MONEY, A FALSE SENSE OFSECURITY, AND EVEN BEING LIKE A FAMILY.