By Jennifer Eisenbart
EDITOR
Joining the Racine County Sheriff’s Department in an effort to give the public more tools to deal with a growing drug problem, the Burlington Area School District Board of Education on Monday night unanimously approved a new program.
The sheriff’s department announced last month that it would be launching the “First Step” program – a packet of literature available for anyone to pick up that, among other items, includes resources for treatment and a saliva-based drug testing kit.
The kit will test for benzodiazepines, oxycontin, cocaine, marijuana, opiates and methamphetamines.
The kit is a response to one of the biggest requests that came out of the heroin summits done last spring – how to find out if a child or loved one is using drugs, and where to find help.
“We want to remove as many barriers as possible,” said Racine County Sheriff’s Capt. Jim Weidner. The testing kits are being paid for out of drug forfeiture money and donations.
But, as Weidner stressed, the testing kit isn’t the only part of the packet. The resource sheet – which includes inpatient and outpatient treatment clinics – “is one of the most important components.”
With drug arrests and drug use up in the country, Weidner said a “360-degree approach” is needed.
The kits going out to community partners – and last spring’s heroin summits – are all part of that.
“It’s critically important to partner with the community hubs,” Weidner said.
Some of the School Board members did raise concerns about the anonymity of the process. In particular, School Board member Phil Ketterhagen wondered if it was possible to pick up a packet “without it getting plastered all over social media.
“To me, that would be a deterrent,” he said.
Burlington High School Principal Eric Burling said the packets would be kept at the front desk of the high school, and that it could be “discreetly” handed off there.
There were also questions about possible unsavory elements from outside of Burlington coming to the high school – or district office – to pick up a kit. District officials did confirm that people from outside the area could come in and pick up a kit, but didn’t expect a problem.
“As we talked about this,” said Superintendent Peter Smet, “99.999 percent of the people are parents who are concerned about loved ones.”
He also added that unknown people are coming and going at the various schools in the district every day.
Smet did explain that, after conversations with the sheriff’s department, that packets both with and without the testing kit would be available.
After the motion was made to approve the placement of the kits in schools, board member Roger Koldeway asked if it could be amended that the testing kits would only be available at the district office.
The consensus from others was that not having the kit available at the school would offer another barrier to a parent who might already be struggling in asking for help.
“When they walk in that door, they want that help,” said School Board President Bill Campbell, adding that there had to be an element of trust.
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