West Warwick High School Outperforms Us!

West Warwick High School outperforms Barrington High School?

No, relax, our poorer neighbors from the western side of the bay did not beat our scores on the NECAPs or SATs. They did beat us on a much more important criteria. They have proven themselves tougher on drugs than we are.

For those who did not hear the news, West Warwick police, with help from the superintendent and the high school principal, placed an undercover officer who pretended to be a transfer student to see if she could buy drugs from other students.

And buy she did. Eight West Warwick students were arrested. Jail. Suspension. College in jeopardy. What a strong message that sends to students. Now that is a deterrent!

My kids and the kids I have worked with over the last 10 years have always told me the easiest place in America to buy drugs is Barrington High School, where teachers and administrators have often turned a blind eye to substance abuse. Catching a kid means paperwork and dealing with well-healed, well-connected angry parents.

Teachers and students know which bathrooms are the "smokers'" bathroom and they learn to stay away. My daughter once said there are probably 90 drug dealers working in the school. She is probably exaggerating, but not by much.

The school has been taking a more proactive stance to substance use of late. The Breathalyzer at dances is a good example. But remember how much resistance there was to having Breathalyzers?

The problem with the Breathalyzer is that it doesn't discriminate and it might catch children whose parents can afford lawyers (or worse are lawyers themselves!). Then there would be.... (ominous music please) CONTROVERSY! Barrington High School has always avoided controversy at all costs.

There has always been, at the high school, an effort not to confront children of certain parents. I remember, when casting and putting on plays for the high school, the pecking orders that were followed. Certain kids could do anything they wanted and they knew it. Because the administration did not want to see the parents.

There are more drug dealers in Barrington High School than at West Warwick High School. I know this by the simple virtue that our kids are no better than West Warwick kids, and our kids have more disposable income to spend on drugs. More money equals more demand equals more suppliers. Simple business.

Catching and arresting people selling drugs at the high school would do more to stop alcohol and drug use at the school than all the public service announcements in the world.

But you can't put an undercover police officer in Barrington High School. What would happen if someone important gets caught? There would be hell to pay!

So, in this measure, which I think in the long term may be much more important to our kids than NECAP testing or AP classes, West Warwick has it all over us.