On Tuesday, October 28, the Chaffey High School District held a drug awareness seminar for students and their parents. It was held at district headquarters on Euclid Avenue in Ontario. Almost all of the 300 people in attendance came from Ontario—representing Chaffey and Ontario High Schools. But by listening to the parents who stood up and raised concerns, you would have thought the meeting was held in Rancho Cucamonga. At least four parents railed against Los Osos High School—one claiming that the drug problem there was “prolific.” Another woman complained that she had to pull her son out of Los Osos because she couldn’t keep him away from negative peer influence and drugs. A father said he sold his Ontario homes and moved into a prestigious neighborhood in Alta Loma, only to be driven away by the effect of Los Osos’ drug culture on his children.
Now, we at the Vineyard Press are proud of what our high schools have accomplished on behalf of many good students. Your editor has three kids who excelled at Rancho Cucamonga High School. But we also realize that many young people are weak—susceptible to dangerous influences that can destroy lives. Over the course of several months, we have been in contact with hundreds of students from all the high schools in Rancho Cucamonga. And, frankly, we are alarmed by the sheer number of bad reports that are being articulated by Los Osos High School students regarding the easy availability of illicit drugs on campus, not to mention the widespread use of alcohol and tobacco that is witnessed daily by residents bordering the high school. And it wouldn’t be fair to leave Alta Loma High, Rancho Cucamonga High, and Etiwanda High out of the discussion. Problems persist everywhere.
The question is: What are we going to do about it? The professional speaker at the October 28 seminar, Jackie Long, cited a 2006 survey that listed drug pressures as the number one concern of high school students—at 24%. That peer pressure was more of a concern to students than passing tests, getting good grades, and going to college. Todd Haig, Director of Student and Staff Support for Chaffey District, stated that some teachers are being trained to recognize drug use by their students. We applaud the district. But such training should be mandatory for all teachers and staff. And that training should have been completed yesterday. Mr. Haig also said that campus security and administrators are vigilant in patrolling the school for illicit behavior. But 4, 5, or even 8 supervisors cannot adequately oversee the activities of 3,200 students. It’s simply not possible.
Mr. Haig, to his credit, was sincere in his belief that the schools do all they can. He has children in the school district, and he would never put them in harm’s way. And he’s right when he said, in essence, that children say the darn’dest things. Rumors of rampant drug use are just that—rumors. Could it be that the extent of drug use at our high schools is grossly exaggerated? Well, there IS a way to find out.
Many high schools in the United States employ drug-sniffing dogs for random checks. Others enlist the support of law enforcement to conduct undercover operations to ferret out drug dealers. Mr. Haig implied during the meeting that measures such as dogs and undercover operations would make students feel “uncomfortable.” Excuse the worn expression, but: ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????
As one parent put it, “I don’t care if my son feels uncomfortable. I want to know that all children are safe.” As the speaker, Jackie Long, a consultant to police departments, said: “This isn’t the age of Cheech and Chong and the relaxing joint anymore. Marijuana today is much more potent, addicting, and dangerous. And meth is worse.”
Mr. Haig also said that, by law, schools are required to be safe and drug free. All right then. WE CAN DO BETTER!
Our challenge to Chaffey High School District: Back it up! Prove to your city that your schools are indeed safe. Show us the rumors are false. GET TOUGH!! Our kids’ lives are at stake! This is serious! So what if a drug-sniffing dog makes some students uncomfortable. We are in the business of saving lives!!! A kid can’t learn if he’s high or strung out. ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE. Bring on the dogs and undercover cops. Show us your campuses are clean. And if they’re not clean, we’ll fix the problem together. We’re in this thing together guys. No pride. No ignoring what goes on to protect our pristine image. Let’s just fix it.
In a discussion over problems at school, the argument invariably is made that: “Hey, it all starts at home…it’s the parents responsibility.” Well, yes, that’s true. But there are many parents torn apart by their childrens’ drug tragedy that question whether their kids would have been better off never attending a drug-riddled school. And why pay taxes to pay for public education if the professionals, when under pressure, say it boils down to the parents anyway. Then why not private school or home school?
We are taken aback at the schools’ defensiveness when challenged. We are also surprised at the lengths schools take to retain stellar reputations, particularly in the case of Los Osos High School. It’s the classic “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” mentality.
But we, once again, challenge our school district: be MORE proactive. Prove to us that your schools are safe. Let the dogs out! Work aggressively with law enforcement to infiltrate and detect drug cells. Chaffey has a new superintendent- a stud if ever there was one. His name is Matt Holton. If anyone can reassure us, he can. Many young, vulnerable lives depend on it.
PLEASE ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!
p.s. Parents, something you can do at home to check on your kid: As the seminar guest speaker said—be involved with your child. Take an interest. Their lips can lie, but the EYES never lie. Examine the eyes for pupil dilation or lack of dilation. Expose the pupils to light and see if they change. And buy a urine test and insist that they take it if you are suspicious. It’s called tough love. And they’ll thank you for it someday. Please, don’t get us started on MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS. We’re afraid this discussion applies to them as well! It’s a tough world out there!
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written by eddy, April 14, 2009
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written by eddy, April 14, 2009
Our president admitted drug use and now Kumar (Kal Penn) of "Harold and Kumar" is headed to Washington to work for Obama, times they be a changing but not necessarily for the better...
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Donations Coming Soon. 
Rex Gutierrez is a twenty-year resident of Rancho Cucamonga. Rex has a wide background in government, public policy, and finance. Rex was elected to the Rancho Cucamonga City Council in 1992 and re-elected in 1996. He left the council in 1998 to operate the Grapevine Press, but was again elected to the City Council in November, 2002 and 2006.