Important Issues for Parents

One of the most amazing things about being an elected official is how much important information we get to hear in the course of doing our job. As a parent, I'm always thinking about how to pass this information along so that other parents can benefit from knowing it, too.

Two recent examples come to mind:

At last week’s joint meeting with the City Council, we learned some startling statistics from city health officials. The meeting was to discuss the devastating effects of abusing Oxycontin, a powerful painkiller prescribed for everything from dental surgery to cancer. We heard a moving account from a parent about how her high schooler became addicted after taking two pills at a party. Students have gotten these pills from the medicine cabinet in their house or someone else's. Eleven Cambridge residents overdosed on this type of drug in 2003; up from six residents in 2001. It is particularly deadly when combined with alcohol.

But here's the most disturbing thing: Oxycontin abuse, while on the rise in our area, is still nothing compared to the amount of alcohol use being reported by our high schoolers (39 percent say they’ve had alcohol in the past 30 days) and middle schoolers (19 percent).

Now that's something for us all to think about.

One other thing I want to pass along. Lately, I have been working with a group of parents who are concerned about appropriate student and driver behavior on buses. What is okay and what is not? Some bus drivers are stricter than others. Many of our buses have video cameras.

If your children ride the bus regularly, be sure and go over the bus rules with them. (Rules for students are posted online at www.cpsd.us; I'm working on finding the rules for drivers.) Make sure your children know that certain behaviors like yelling or shouting can come with consequences. Infractions are supposed to be written up by the bus driver and communicated to parents by the principal or assistant principal.