Concern About Drugs At High School

East Hampton High School has a drug problem. We know this because the administration has scheduled forums at which the use of the life-saving anti-opiate known as Narcan will be explained and kits made available for parents to take home. What we do not know is how big the problem is. School officials have not been forthcoming, saying only that there has been an “uptick” in drug-related incidents. Much more needs to be said.

The best information so far has come from New York State. For the 2014-15 school year, East Hampton reported nine drug events to state officials, up from seven the previous year. 

An uptick, as Adam Fine, the high school principal put it, would appear to mean an increase over those numbers, but by how much and of what sort he did not say. The planned distribution of Narcan, however, suggests that he and others are taking seriously the risk of student overdoses on heroin or related substances, such as prescription painkillers. That is a good thing. But, in interviews, school officials have declined to name any of the drugs they are concerned about, and they have not provided any real numbers. Excuses about students’ privacy are overstated, to put it mildly.

One can sympathize with school administrators. One could understand they would prefer to downplay the use of heroin or other drugs by East Hampton High School students, but no one is served by the lack of candor. A clear and open communitywide discussion would benefit those who need help the most — the kids who are using, or might begin to use, dangerous addictive substances.

After initially denying that anti-gay bullying existed in the East Hampton schools, officials responded with effective programs following David Hernandez’s suicide in 2012. How they openly dealt with that crisis should be a model for the way they confront drug use. But first, leveling with the community about the scale of the issue is critical. 

What does an uptick really mean? The answer should be provided, in detail.