TEEN DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE TARGETED

Parents, Teachers And Police Brainstorm To Find Solutions

Concord -- A Concord High guidance counselor told parents last night that dealing with teen alcohol, tobacco and drug use as a community is like trying to score a bull's eye in archery.

"There is no silver bullet, there's no golden arrow," said Betsy Peabody.  "But the more we have happening, the more likely we'll have the effect we want to have."

About 70 parents flocked to a Parent Teacher Student Organization panel discussion at the high school to learn more about the community's role in preventing teens from using controlled substances.  Though a question and answer period provoked some dialogue at the end of the night, parents spent most of the time listening to five panelists who work regularly with Concord teens.  The near-record turnout included just one student, though middle and high schoolers were invited.

Following a packed PTSO forum in September about school policies governing athletes' use of controlled substances - and amid related news events such as the arrest in November of three Hopkinton parents for allegedly hosting a keg party - the PTSO wanted to get the Concord community together to learn more and to talk strategy.

"It's not just the parents' responsibility, it's not just the school's responsibility, it's really the responsibility of the entire community," said PTSO president Judy Caron, who said last night's session will be the first in a series of events addressing the issue.

Concord teenagers are Concord police officer John Zbehlik's beat.  The high school's resource officer offered parents a sketch of the problems he sees every day.  He noted a few statistics: This year, he's arrested 30 kids for smoking cigarettes on or near school property ( "I've arrested kids in the same spot twice," he added ); seven students for assaults on campus; three for marijuana use; and four for disorderly conduct.

He also gave parents a tip or two.

"This is a pot-smoking device," he declared, holding up a crushed soda can, which he said kids use as a bong to easily hide the evidence.  "Everything's disposable nowadays."

Zbehlik said Concord High is generally a safe school, but said parents could make it safer by being clear about their expectations and open to talking about them.

"Be aggressive, be a cop at home sometimes if you have to," he said.  "Ask your kid, 'Why do you smell like pot? Why are you carrying a cigarette lighter?'

"If everyone's talking about it, things come to light," Zbehlik said.

Concord Police Chief Bill Halacy said good parents care and set a good example for their kids.  Being tough can even help your child make choices he or she would prefer to make in the future.  Parents who stay up late to greet their kids when they come home give their kids the opportunity to refuse drugs and alcohol by saying, 'My dad would kill me,' he said.

Two common mistakes good parents make? Halacy said some parents protect their kids to a fault and wind up making excuses for them when they're disciplined in school or by the police.  Another: "Don't ever underestimate the importance of your role in your child's life," Halacy said.

The panelists agreed that setting a good example for kids by settling conflicts peacefully, leading healthy lives and obeying the law themselves - and that includes driving the speed limit - ultimately helped teenagers to make responsible decisions.

But good parents can extend their influence beyond their own front yards, they said.

A parent who asked not to be named asked what sort of influence adults outside the immediate family could hope to have on a teenager from a troubled home.

"Enormous," answered Peabody.  Kids who overcome growing up in so-called "risky" environments, she said, often do so because of the presence of "a healthy, caring adult who gives them unconditional love."

Barbara Crouse, a Student Assistance Program counselor at Rundlett Middle and Concord High schools, challenged parents to contact their legislators about improving health care - especially for teenagers who need serious abuse counseling.

For kids who need detox or other expensive treatment help, "there may not be adequate treatment facilities available, especially if the family does not have health insurance," she said.  "There are times that we really know they need help but we don't have any place to send them.  It gets frustrating."

David Gill, recreation supervisor for the city's recreation department, said he believes the community could make progress by drawing in as many groups as possible, including members of the business community - especially since a recent state sting found that 50 percent of local stores surveyed sold alcohol to underage buyers.

"How do we get them involved in the solution?" Gill said.

On the other hand, Chief Halacy said, the businesses who refuse to sell liquor to minors ought to be congratulated: The PTSO handed out fliers naming the 19 of 40 local businesses that passed the spot test.

Gill also noted that while Concord already has lots to offer teenagers, between school clubs and sports, and community organizations, "a lot of the resources are not known to everybody."

By the same token, teenagers ought to be leading the way in developing Concord's assets: "We need to ask them, 'What can we do to improve your quality of life in Concord?' " Gill said.