“We lose too many kids to overdose”

How Fremont addresses the current substance abuse problem among youth

Staff Writer

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the week of October 23rd to October 31st marks Red Ribbon Week, an opportunity for youth and adults to “renew their commitment to live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.”

As stated on the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS) website, “teenagers in California are 24.46% more likely to have used drugs in the last month than the average American teen.” How Fremont factors into this data is equally as concerning.

Fremont Police Department Officer Guzman, who served last year as American High School’s School Resource Officer (SRO), said, “We encounter smoking [paraphernalia] when we have to search a student, or it is being handed over to us to be booked into property, which usually happens around two to three times each month.”

Officer Tsai, American’s current SRO, framed the issue in Fremont in the context of previous years. “It’s all across the high schools in the district. From the incidents reported, in comparison from last year to this year, we’re seeing an increase.”

Student observations also reflect the seriousness of the problem. “Every once in a while you can see a kid who is actively vaping in the bathroom, but more often, it is just the very prominent smell of vapes when I walk in,” said Prisha Mathur (11).

Ms. Martinez, a P.E, dance, and yoga teacher at American, runs the Brief Intervention program for offenders. “The program is for first-time offenders and is offered in lieu of suspension. They get referred to me, and we sit down for three counseling sessions where we discuss the decision making process that led them here, what change could look like, and how I can support them in that,” she said.

Mrs. Pelayo, one of American’s assistant principals, detailed the administration’s emphasis on providing support for offenders. “Overall, we try to provide therapeutic support for students.

They can talk to their counselors. We have stress busters. And through health class in ninth grade, students have a unit about alcohol, drinking, drugs,” she said.

Officer Guzman added, “SROs conducted presentations last year about vaping or drugs, discussing the dangers and the criminal component of it. We also work closely with Youth and Family Services, making referrals to them to provide counseling.”

Kathleen Brown, the Youth and Family Services program coordinator, elaborated on the work the program does. “When we get a referral for a student, we try to reach out to the client individually. In general kids meet once a week for about an hour. We offer a group session for students and for parents. We also offer family sessions, both with the client and the parents when the client is ready,” she said.

“If they’re suffering from something else, then it may trigger them to want to use substances. For example, this fall, a student from Mission San Jose High School and a kid from Washington High School passed away. If kids come in and are connected to that, we may address grief and loss. It’s important to get the coping skills in place, because some kids start smoking because of their feelings. If you take away drugs and alcohol, they are left to feel. And they don’t know how to manage their emotions. A lot of times there’s underlying trauma that they’ve never learned how to process,” she said.

“I just want kids to know that we’re a resource when they’re ready. Treatment is available, and it doesn’t cost anything. We’re here to support you,” said Brown. “We lose too many kids to overdose, and the fentanyl problem is getting much worse. It’s in everything. I just don’t want kids to die. We’re just losing too many.”

Caption: According to the DEA website,“Red Ribbon Week highlights the importance of living a drug-free life.” Red Ribbon week activities allow “parents, educators, and communities to reinforce the drug-free messages they share with their children throughout the year.” (PC: Kingston Lo (12))