West Newsmagazine 4-19-17

22 I SCHOOLS I
April 19, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
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By AMY ARMOUR
On Friday, April 7, an incident at LaSalle
Springs Middle in the Rockwood School
District sent social media humming with
speculation after children complained of
not feeling well and an ambulance was
called to the school. Rumors suggested that
a select group of students had consumed
drinks spiked by another child, but Dr.
Eric Knost, superintendent, refuted those
claims. On Saturday morning, LaSalle
Springs Middle Principal Debbie Brandt
sent a email to parents, stating, in part:
“On Friday, some students shared with
our school leadership team that they were
not feeling well. We asked some questions
and determined it would be in the students’
best interest to seek medical attention. We
followed our usual safety procedures to
ensure they received the care they needed.
In addition, parents of the students involved
were all notified.
“Because we are committed to the safety
of our students, we talked with students
about this situation and then informed our
district officials who thoroughly investigated.
They also involved our School
Resource Officer with the St. Louis County
Police Department who is now continuing
this investigation.
“We understand that rumors are circulating
in our school community, and we want
to assure our families that we are taking
this investigation seriously. All matters of
student safety receive top priority.”
Some parents thought the response was
too little too late, but Knost said, “we really
needed to use best judgement” before
sending out a school-wide announcement
“to protect student privacy.” He said, “Discipline
issues are tricky.”
The challenge of social media
Social media also is tricky, which is
why Knost said he encourages parents to
call the school with their concerns and talk
with their children.
“No matter how complex our world is or
how complex social media is, we can control
what we say to our kids,” Knost said.
He added that he was speaking as both
an educator, school superintendent and as
a parent. “We cannot ever minimize the
importance of talking to our kids.”
You don’t need an incident to talk to your
kids, he said. Just talk. Maybe talking will
keep them from crossing a line.
“All kids want to be loved. They want to
be cared for. They don’t want to be afraid,”
Knost said.
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Sex, drugs and the internet
Today’s parents have a lot to talk
about, but are kids listening
The internet can be an influential and
scary place.
Jenny, a mom of a 14-year-old teen, said
she worries about social media usage and
her son not understanding the ramifications
of putting something on the internet. She
asked to be identified by first name only
due to the sensitive nature of this topic.
“I also worry about him being bullied or
not treated very nicely by other kids as he
makes his way to high school,” she said.
Jenny may have good cause to worry.
Laura Bruhy, of Preferred Family Healthcare,
said 1 in 4 teens have been a victim
of cyberbullying and 1 in 6 teens admit to
being a cyberbully.
Jenny said sometimes she lets news stories
or situations at school prompt a conversation,
but so far her son hasn’t initiated
many of those discussions.
Social media isn’t the only challenge
Jude Hassan, author of “Suburban
Junky: From Honor Roll to Heroin Addict,”
played football and wrestled in high school.
He came from a good home where he had
all the tools to be successful. But when
Hassan was 15, he decided to try marijuana
to fit in with his friends.
“That led to prescription pills which led
to heroin,” Hassan said.
Now clean, he is a substance abuse and
drug prevention speaker and a school and
community liaison at Preferred Family
Healthcare. Recently, he spoke as part of
a panel discussion, titled “What Your Teen
Wants You to Know … But Doesn’t Know
How to Tell You.”
“With kids, they are at an age where their
brains are not fully formed and developed,”
Hassan said. And because the brain is
not fully formed, they are more likely to
engage in risky behavior.
Raising a teenager in today’s world can
be a challenge with kids facing peer pressure
to use drugs, drink alcohol and/or
have sex. Throw in social media and the
decisions kids make are written in cyberspace
forever.
“It seems that there are so many issues
out there now that we [teens and parents]
have to deal with, that it’s hard to keep up
with all of it,” said Michele, a mom of two
teenage boys. “Social media, drugs, drinking,
sex – all of it. It makes my head spin.”
According to statistics from Preferred
Family Healthcare, by the eighth grade,
28 percent of adolescents have consumed
alcohol, 15 percent have smoked cigarette-
See TEENS, page 54