In the 1980s, when my kids attended Ramapo High School, in Franklin Lakes, NJ, the things parents most feared were pot and alcohol. Ramapo had a notorious structure known as "The Wall," which was the place they went to buy, sell and smoke pot (years later I would learn some also indulged in mushrooms and LSD). In fact, a janitor was caught and arrested for selling to the students during breaks.I moved to Franklin Lakes, in 1973, from Asbury Park. Asbury Park High School had its share of racial slugfests, smoking and drinking, but no drugs (at least while I was there in the 60s). Much of that was probably due to the lack of quick cash. Unless you lived in Deal, Loch Arbor or Interlaken, your family probably weren't wealthy. In fact, most of us worked summers to get spending money so we could have nicer clothes or a beat up 20 year old car. Moving to Franklin Lakes was a huge cultural shock for me, but it gave my kids the chance to go to better schools so I joined the PTO and prayed the rules and regs I set down for my kids would keep them safe.By the grace of God, none of my kids got into drugs, but there seemed to be a serious lack of concern on the part of the administration about how widespread this problem had become with many students. There was an organization parents joined that promised any parties at their homes would be attended by the parents, and there would be no drinking or drugging. I came to find out that one family had parties where they had the kids put their keys in a bowl, and promise not to take them if they had been drinking! Hey --- what happened to no drinking and drugging??Well, these days kids have found another drug to experiment with, and this one kills. When I heard that heroin use had, in the words of the Franklin Lakes' and Wyckoff Police Departments, "was reaching epidemic proportions." They urged parents to partner with them to search for solutions to get the kids help and the drugs out of schools.I no longer have kids in school, but this scourge has reached even me. Recently, a family I love very much had their lives devastated by heroin. Their beautiful 19 year old daughter died from a heroin overdose after she went into the typical downward spiral the drug promises. She left behind her parents, her twin sister, and her younger sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who are left wondering how this could have happened to such a spirited young woman.Heroin doesn't discriminate --- we comfort ourselves with the thought that it's inner city kids who use it --- kids whose parents don't care where they are or what they're doing --- kids whose parents are incarcerated or were never around. It's not just those kids, I promise you. It's your kids, too.
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