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Last week, a questionnaire was mailed to parents of all Rappahannock school children.
When the school board first decided to go this route as part of a review of the drug and alcohol policy, we failed to grasp what purpose this informational only poll would serve. Now that we've seen the cover letter and questions, we're convinced that the poll is an exercise in futility at best.
At worst, it is a self-serving piece of propaganda, designed to reinforce opinions shared by several members of the board.
The memorandum accompanying the letter starts off “Your child is in danger!" and implies that increasing use of illegal drugs and alcohol IN THE SCHOOLS threatens the health and safety of both elementary and high school students.
“Overreaction” is the first—and kindest—term that comes to mind.
Some high school students smoke marijuana. Some drink beer and hard liquor. They do it in Rappahannock County as well as throughout the rest of the country.
But in a school as small as RCHS. where do they go to smoke and drink between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday? In a school that’s packed to the rafters as RCHS with every room used every period of the day—some by two and three classes at a time—with only one boys’ bathroom and one girls' bathroom for over 400 students, where do they hide from teachers and administrators? Rappahannock high school isn’t a mamoth institution where kids are names and numbers. Teachers and principals not only know the youngsters as individuals but they know which hutch shift students are on and where they 're supposed to be fourth period.
We’re not trying to convince anyone that RCHS is certified drug free. Even though drug sniffing dogs from the U.S. Customs Service failed to uncover anything more threatening than a turkey sandwich, were sure that “controlled substances.’’ primarily marijuana and beer, can be fotuid in lockers and cars. The same element that used to sneak out at lunch for a shot of booze now scotts off into the woods for a few puffs on a joint but the administration is aware of this problem and working to eliminate it.
We have confidence that the teachers and administrators care about the welfare of their charges. We believe that they would have been before the school board in mass if the situation was as serious as the memorandum implies. All we’ve heard—in open session—at school board meetings is one member claiming information from an unidentified “reliable sources source” as to how bad the drug scene is.
The memorandum doesn’t just tag the high school as a hotbed of illegal drugs. “Even the Elementary School (sic! is now becoming involved." the letter claims.
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