Adults step up to keep lid on prom problems

Christine Carrillo

With prom and graduation -- and their requisite parties --

approaching, members of the Harbor Council Parent Teacher Assn. are

working diligently to arm parents with ammunition to fight drug and

alcohol use and abuse by their children.

During a town hall meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Costa

Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, the council will provide parents

with tips on how to deal with teens facing drug and alcohol issues.

“We felt like the parents needed some more education in order to

guide their children properly, and students felt like their parents

really didn’t understand what was going on,” said Patty Christiansen,

Harbor Council president.

“I think it’s unknown territory [for most parents] ... a closed

topic,” she said. “We’re tying to open it up and give parents the

information that they need.”

At the meeting, five speakers will discuss teenage drug and

alcohol issues. Mike Murphy, director of alternative programs and

student services for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, will

begin the meeting with a brief explanation of the district’s

zero-tolerance policy.

Officers from the Costa Mesa and Newport Beach police departments

will talk about warning signs of drug and alcohol use and drug trends

among teenagers. They will have a display of drug paraphernalia so

that parents can familiarize themselves with various methods of drug

use.

The evening of education will continue with talks by Pepe

Montenegro, a coordinator for the district’s outreach counseling

program, and Gay Geiser Sandoval, an associate attorney, who will

touch on the rights of parents and the legal consequences of drug and

alcohol use by students on their parents and themselves.

“Kids are using drugs, so parents need to find out what’s really

going on,” Montenegro said. “I’m hoping that parents will take an

active role in their child’s life and I hope to leave parents with

additional tools they can use that will help them prevent or

intervene in drug use for their child.”

Motivated in part by the students’ desire to take a closer look at

the district’s zero-tolerance policy, the harbor council hopes to

encourage parents to play their part in fighting the battle against

student drug and alcohol abuse.

“I think it’s real important that the parents are looking at ways

to really focus on trying to make [schools] the safest place for

their kids to be,” Supt. Robert Barbot said. “I think it’s a good

thing that everybody recognizes we can do more. Their support in this

... it’s got to have a positive impact.”

The center is at 1845 Park Ave.

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO covers education and may be reached at (949)

574-4268 or by e-mail at [email protected].