We're losing our future.

Gordon Clay here. There's been a lot of talk around the issue of "Zero-tolerance" concerning the use of drugs and alcohol in our community and on and around our schools. And a new drug policy is being considered by the District and School Board.

There are already plenty of penalties listed in the student handbook from a minimum of law enforcement notification and a five to 10 day suspension, to expulsion, loss of driving privileges and potential detention (read "lockup). Is an automatic suspension which puts them out on the street the best solution?

This is the way most school 'Zero Tolerance' programs work yet it fails to address the problem, kills dreams, and sets the students up to fail in society, and therefore, we all lose a part of our future.

Some might say, under their breath, good riddance. We won't have to deal with "them". The fact is, if we don't do everything in our power to deal, in a healthy way, with the problem now, it won't go away and we will have to deal with the problem, in other ways, within the community for years to come.

Barbara Colorose once said "If kids come to us (educators/teachers) from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important." With this in mind, I hope the school board will consider this perspective as the preferred perspective. As Superintendent Hodge recently said in the newspaper, “The district is really open to anything that is helpful and good for the kids.”

If you care about our kids and the future of our community, come to the April 18th School Board meeting, 6pm at K-School, to share your ideas, in 5 minutes or less.