Hello everyone,
Recently, AHSTW Community School District held an informational night for students, parents, and community members to learn more about the topics facing all of us in today’s society. The information shared by Deputy Kava, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, on internet and social media safety, and Mr. Deric Kidd, a public speaker from Carlisle, IA, on the topic of drug use, overdose and poisoning, helped us understand those challenges at a greater level in addition to the importance of recognizing warning signs to assist our students. For that, I am thankful.
Although, Mr. Kidd’s message shared the unfortunate and tragic consequences of drug use, he also talked about the ‘Why of Drug Use’ and how our understanding of the ‘Why’ can assist us in helping the youth of our five communities in their efforts to resist substances. The following items are examples of the ‘Why’.
Reasons to begin experimentation | |
· Anxiety / Depression | · Inclusion into friend groups |
· Trauma | · Bullying |
· Peer Pressure | · Surgery/Pain |
· Boredom | · Experimentation |
· Grief | · Social Media |
We hope that by sharing the concepts above we all become more aware situations that may encourage experimentation in order to become more proactive in assisting each other, both young and old.
Fortunately, additional steps are being taken to protect students across the State of Iowa. The first protections are coming through the development of an app to assist individuals in asking for help or reporting events or potential actions in which friends are at-risk. The hotline will hopefully be shared prior to the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
The Iowa State House of Representatives and Iowa Senate during last year’s legislative session determined health risks for students to be at a risk level high enough to provide Iowa School Districts with the ability to purchase and stock certain medications in our health offices. One such medication is the opioid antagonist, Narcan. Narcan is a medication designed to counteract the symptoms of drug overdose or drug poisoning. This is a step that no one believed would ever be necessary. However, the legislative action did provide us and the AHSTW Board of Education the ability to discuss, modify, and adopt an updated version of Board Policy 804.5, which we did with the hope the medications would never be needed. In addition to Narcan, the policy also provides districts with the ability to purchase and stock epinephrine and bronchodilators for the health and safety of our students.
We understand you may have questions on the topics associated with this letter and welcome any conversations on the topics. So, please feel free to contact Mrs. Lane, Mrs. Kock, Mrs. Rold, Mr. Embrock or myself with those questions at 712-343-6364.
Respectfully,
Mr. Darin Jones
Superintendent
AHSTW Community School District
