Kids Unsupervised At Home

To the Editor:

Two months ago a front-page article in the Danbury News-Times suggested that heroin confronted the Newtown schools and police with a “major problem.”

As our town struggles with increased heroin use among the young, we should contemplate our school board’s decision last summer to cut costs by shipping middle-schoolers to their homes an hour and 40 minutes earlier in the afternoon than previously. It is safe to assume that there is a considerable number of children in unsupervised homes during that time period. Most of these children will use the extra time to do homework, watch television, surf the net, or shoot hoops. Some will use it to experiment with “gateway” drugs.

Our educational leaders are currently assessing the effects of school start/dismissal times on student academic performance. Shouldn’t they also address the potential impact of our new 1:52 pm middle school dismissal time on teenage drug use?

We all deplore drug use among the young. Do we actually want to do something about it? Then spend a little extra money and return the middle school to its previous schedule. We can spend it now…or we can spend all of it and more later on drug rehab and blighted lives.

Sincerely,

Josh Hull

6 Fern Lane, Newtown                                         February 11, 2004