The following letter was addressed to MHS Principal Mike Matthews and SMMUSD Superintendent John Deasy.
I just wanted to alert you of my concern over the alcohol and substance abuse problem, which I feel has reached crisis status at Malibu High School. First, let me say that I am not implying that Malibu High School is any worse than many other public and private schools with similar demographics. However, this in no way lessens the fact that a crisis exists. I am equally staggered by the widespread and severe nature of the problem at MHS and by the denial of the extent of the problem by many of the parents of children involved.
Alcohol and drug use at school functions should be met with zero tolerance and should be dealt with severely. There should be no more “non-school sanctioned” trips, which provide loopholes to students who abuse alcohol or drugs.
The rules of due process must be rigorously followed so that no student has the grounds to seek an exception.
The concept of transferring abusers to a different school is a failed policy that ultimately only exacerbates the problem. However, violators should be required to either face such a transfer or expulsion if legally possible, or consent to attend a family counseling program for at least 16 hours in addition to attending AA meetings. We should have a mandatory policy of drug testing for participation in all extracurricular activities and sports programs. We should have breath analyzers, drug dogs and law enforcement officers present at all school dances such as the prom. Local law enforcement should be encouraged to pursue criminal charges against drug violators. This may require an outreach to the Sheriff’s Department and a public relations campaign if the Sheriff’s Department is not cooperative. Parents whose homes are used for parties where alcohol is served should face prosecution.
When drugs are found on a student at school, charges should be filed. A full-time professional counselor who specializes in alcohol and drug abuse should be hired to coordinate all the efforts of the school. A teen AA meeting should commence at MHS immediately and a van with adult supervision should be provided for the trip to the Ohio Street AA teen meeting in Santa Monica on Thursday nights. We need a cohesive approach involving all support organizations of the school. Many of these organizations are already focused on the issue with programs like SMART Moves and Parent to Parent. We should not use the “but angry parents will sue” excuse any longer. Other districts adopt similar policies and have successfully won these types of lawsuits. This community has been far too lenient for far too long. We have now had several severe accidents involving teens under the influence of drugs and alcohol drug.
Does the problem have to get worse, do our children have to die or ruin their lives before we use the full power of the district and the resources of this generous and loving community to confront the problem?
Wes Walraven