EDUCATOR: DRUGS NOT A SCHOOL PROBLEM, BUT A YOUTH PROBLEM

HICKORY - St.  Stephens High is a school of distinction, which means 88 percent of its students test at or above grade level.

But since school started, two students have been caught with drugs on school property and an in-school suspension coordinator was arrested on drug charges.

During the 2003-04 school year, St.  Stephens had more drug arrests on school grounds - nine - than any high school in Catawba County.

St.  Stephens isn't unusual when it comes to drug problems, said Ann Hart, superintendent for Catawba County Schools.

"Society is reflected in our schools," she said.  "We're always trying to pay attention and be aware.  We don't shy away from taking quick action."

Hart said drug education and prevention starts in elementary school.

Drugs aren't a school problem but a youth problem, said Pat Hensley, assistant superintendent for human resources for the county school system.  The issue isn't drugs in schools; it's dealing with the after-effects of the weekend, she said.

Hensley, who is in her fourth decade as an educator, doesn't see the drug problem escalating, but she does see students using different drugs.  In addition to the LSD, inhalants, marijuana and alcohol of the 1970s, there are the crack cocaine, Ecstasy and prescription drugs of today, Hensley said.  Kids also have more money to spend on drugs now than they did before, she said.

Last year, St.  Stephens hosted a drug forum to help educate parents, students and staff, Hensley said.  If the school has a high number of drug arrests, that means officials are taking action, not that more students are doing drugs, she said.

Principal DeAnna Taylor did not return numerous phone calls for comment about what action St.  Stephens is taking to combat drugs.

Drugs in schools don't affect just students.  Hickory police arrested an ISS coordinator, 43-year-old Kathy Marie Curtis, after crack was found in her car.

She resigned her position.  Curtis was with the school system for five years, said Crystal Davis, attorney for the school system.

Hart declined to comment on Curtis.

School board member Bo Scott thinks the drug arrests at St.  Stephens mean officials are doing their jobs.  He advocates random drug testing for students and teachers.

"My philosophy is don't try to sweep it underneath the rug," Scott said.  "Two ( students ) out of 1,200 is not even 1 percent.  That's just two that got caught.  How many didn't?"

Gayle Boyles, PTO co-president of St.  Stephens, is aware of the student arrests.

"( The drug issues don't ) bother me as far as my child going there," she said.  "I know the stuff's going on, but I imagine it's going on everywhere, at all schools, at some point.  But I'd like to see it stop.  It's a waste."

Boyles graduated from St.  Stephens almost 40 years ago.  The worst things students did then was drink and drive fast cars, she said.

Boyles, who coaches junior varsity cheerleading at the school, is strict with her girls.

"If I have proof of someone drinking or smoking weed, they're off my team," she said.  "You don't have to do ( drugs ) to be popular or have fun."

St.  Stephens is trying to crack down now with cameras and to build awareness with drug forums, Boyles said.

"Some parents might not have a clue that their kids are involved," she said.  "You have to be wise all the time and say 'never say never' about your child."