Parents Learn About Substance Abuse, Internet Safety

Millburn Middle School's cafeteria was packed full of excited fifth graders, getting to experience the tradition of TGIF for the first time.  Upstairs in the auditorium, their parents were sitting through talks by the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey and Det. Ed de la Fuente, or Det. Ed as most know him. 

M-MAC organized the event to give parents more information about Drug and Alcohol abuse and Internet safety.  According to the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey, by the time they have  completed eighth grade, 52 percent of students will have tried alcohol, 25 percent will have tried cigarettes and 17 percent will have tried illicit drugs. According to their research, talking to your child 15 minutes a day about drugs and alcohol decreases the likelihood that a child will try marijuana by 67 percent.

De le Fuente talked about Internet safety.  He said during his DARE classes kids will ask what to do if they are walking in a dark alley at 2 a.m. and some stranger tries to get them to do something.  "The dark alley is in their bedrooms; it's the Internet and they're on it at 2 a.m."  He laid out some practical tips for parents such as don't allow middle schoolers to have Facebook pages, create written contracts with your kids that state specifically what's okay, and don't allow instant messaging.