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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 06/08/1992STEERING COMMITTEE 8 JUNE 1992 The South Burlington Steering Committee held a meeting on Monday 8 June 1992, at 7:30 PM, in the library of the Frederick Tuttle Middle School, Dorset Street. Members Present: City Council: Michael Flaherty, James Condos, John Dinklage, William Cimonetti, Robert Chittenden, Charles Hafter, City Manager School Board: Theodore Manazir, Dennis Snyder, Julie Duppstadt, Francis Murray Also Present: Lawrence LeCours, Larry Drown, Pat Myette, Ruth O'Keefe-Wells, George Wells, Ron & Gloria Boucher, Hank & Demi Fischer, Tom & Maureen Rees, Jerry & Judy Heutz, Liz Merrill, Barbara Hibbitts, Geri Villa, Patty Mable, Gail LeBlanc, Burton Wilcke, Anne Browne, Lillian Robinson, Girish & Chhaya Bhatt, Damian Johnston, Susan Wheeler, Bruce & Irene Stowe, A. Greg Johnston, Karen Shilgalis, J. & P. Hameline, Margaret Picard, Peg Strait, Dom Marabella, Rick Marcotte, Bruce O'Neill, Mark Kennedy, David Fod, Darlene Worth, Leo Brown, Mary Rutherford, Donna Carlson, Judy McClellan, Chuck & Kathy Galvin, Ginni Reeves, Betty Goldberg, Diana Whalen, John Whalen, Monica Smith, Michael Racine, Barbara McKnight, R. Golshayan, Ginny Greenblatt, Cathy Bergeron, Deborah Burton, Lee Nelson, Susi Taylor, Arthur Greenblatt, Sue Dattilio, Elizabeth Robitaille, Sheri Rand, Leah Genzlinger, Karen Grace, Hank Lambert, Catherine Lloyd, JoAnn Nielson, Peg Adams, Melanie Griffith, Barbara Britain, Doug Seizbaum, Russell Agne, Daniel & Sandra O'Brien, Nancy McGowen, Joan Picard, E. Corley, Gregory & Carole Lothrop, James Howley, Tom Pilerise, Martha Campione, Sam & Ruth Bogorad, Carol Lutz, Anne Sullivan, Pat Burgmeier, Nancy Gomez, Pam MacPherson, Gregg Robitaille, Kathie Thon, Marta Taylor, Sonny Cassani, Dick Cassani, Keri Phillips The meeting began with a moment of silence in memory of Superintendent of Schools, Frederick Tuttle. 1. Approval of Minutes of 19 March 1992: Mr. Flaherty moved the minutes of 19 March be approved as written. Mr. Dinklage seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 2. Report from Chief of Police and High School Principal: Chief Searles began with a history of the events leading to this meeting. He noted that about 15 months ago a group of people came to the Burlington area for the purpose of selling drugs. This was noticed by authorities and an investigation was conducted. On 22 May, an arrest was made for drug sales and possession of firearms. The tragic revenge murder followed. There is a connection, the Chief noted, between this case and some of the youth of South Burlington. A task force has been aiding in this investigation. Following the tragic events, a link with the schools was begun. Chief Searles stressed that the list of people who had contact with the defendants was small. Currently, there is a group of alleged drug dealers, many in custody, many from out of state. There is also an intensified investigation into the case to try to identify new defendants. Chief Searles said there is no identified risk to any students in South Burlington as an unsafe place. Chief Searles noted that this case demonstrates that the stakes in the drug scene have gone up. There is also a change in strategy in the distribution of illegal drugs. In the past, drugs such as cocaine were produced in Andean countries and delivered to Miami. There would then have been a distribution to major cities such as Boston and New York. Dealers from other areas would then have gone to the major city to buy. This has become too risky and the penalties for possession of large amounts of drugs have gotten higher. The pattern now is that people related to major dealers will move into smaller communities such as Burlington and conduct a more direct sales effort. This change has a direct link to violent crimes as the stakes have gotten higher and more money is "invested." There is also a higher level of organization. Chief Searles said that people in Vermont support drug trading as much as in any other place. There are 130,000 people in the region and there is more money than in the inner city. This incident can't be treated as an aberration. The Chief stressed that this is not a racial issue and the vast majority of cocaine arrests are of white persons from this community. The Chief said that solutions to the problem have more to do with the people in the community than with public institutions. He said the community must pay much more attention to what is going on. The Chief then noted some signs to look for in youngsters that may indicate problems: changes in friends, how much money kids have, what they are buying, do they come home sober, changes in grades and attitudes. He said that alcohol is still the biggest problem and some of the associations made in this case were made through the purchase of alcohol. He noted that our society pushes alcohol and that it may be time to remove alcohol advertising as tobacco ads have been removed. Mr. Ladeau then reviewed the recent events from the point of view of the schools. He noted that on Friday morning the annual academic assembly was held at which awards were presented. This was followed by 2 assemblies on alcohol and drug abuse with Billy Ward as speaker. This was followed by workshops. On Sunday evening the Prom was held at the Radisson with 200 students participating in an substance free event. At 11:00 PM, the "After Hours" drug and alcohol free program was held for students at Twin Oaks. During this event news of the shooting in Burlington began to filter in and information was related to students and parents. The Crisis Committee of the school met Monday and put together a plan for the next day. A meeting was held with teachers at 7:00 AM Tuesday to give them accurate information. Guidance counselors and peer support groups were available to talk with students throughout the day. There were also DARE officers available to provide accurate information to students. Some TV interviews were coordinated by the school. Transportation to the funeral was provided for many students the following day. On Wednesday evening a presentation was made to the School Board and the Police Chief indicated his availability to make a presentation to the public on the state of the drug scene in the area. On Thursday, there were some sessions with individual students and parents and there was an identification of some students who had been associating with some of the drug dealers. A high visibility of police was maintained at the school during this time. On Friday, Chief Searles made a presentation to the faculty and assemblies were set up to get this information to students. The following Monday a letter was put together to parents to notify them how the school was dealing with the problem. Parents were also told of three meetings to be held on successive Wednesdays on the following topics: the grieving process, drug and alcohol use in the community, and communication between parents and kids on drugs. Mr. Ladeau said the school has tried to stress the connection between violence and all those who use, sell and tolerate drug use. Mr. Ladeau noted the school has stayed close to the parents of Melissa Wells. Comments and questions were then solicited from the audience. Mr. Drown, representing "There is a Solution" from Northfield, asked if the three (3) parent forums could be taped. Mr. Ladeau said the forums had been set up to allow open communications between parents and counselors and he felt taping would violate this. Mr. Drown then asked if students were being used to obtain information about drug activities. Chief Searles said he knows of no such situations. Ms. Burton asked what is being done in the lower grades. The Middle School Principal said there were counseling sessions with students in small groups. There is also an on-going drug education program in the school. Mr. Howley said he had heard that S. Burlington High School is the "easiest" in the county to deal drugs in. Mr. Ladeau said there is a good drug & alcohol policy for the District. Any employee is obligated to bring to the Principal's attention any knowledge or suspicion of students involved with drugs. He didn't believe any dealing was occurring rampantly though there have been some drug-related suspensions during the year. Chief Searles said the case in question involved many transactions over a long period of time. No sales were made in the S. Burlington schools and associations with dealers weren't formed in the school. Sales took place where the defendants lived. He said the kind of deals that occur in school are between one friend and another. Mr. Ladeau said that the only way they can deal with problems is if they are told of them. He noted that where kids have more money, you get a "target area." He stressed that all reports are investigated. Mr. Wells asked how many users have been apprehended on or near school premises in the last year. Mr. Galvin said 4 this school year. Mr. Wells said his child says she feels nothing is being done about drug use and dealing in the school. Mrs. Wells added that kids are afraid to come forward. Mrs. Sofer said she has tried for 5 years to get parents together to talk about this issue but couldn't get any interest. She said it is not the school's responsibility to teach morals to children. Mrs. Griffiths said her child and friends are very concerned about what is going on at school. She said when she talked with the vice principal, he snickered at her and told her to get her facts straight. She said she didn't feel her child was being protected and was told "everything is fine and not to worry about it." Damien Johnston, who graduated 2 years ago, said students know the most and will talk the least. Parents know the least and will talk the most. He said there is so much paper work that teachers don't come forward. Mrs. Villa said her child has seen people smoking marijuana in school but is afraid to say anything. She also noted that parents who are doing drugs also need help. Gregg Robitaille, a senior in the high school, said he didn't think actual transactions happened in school, but the agreements do happen. He felt catching 4 violators was significant. Ms. Hibbitts said drugs affect people in "nice" homes with parents who feel their kids are above it all. She said the man involved has been dealing in S. Burlington for a long time and comes from a nice neighborhood. She said she felt there is a lot of laxity when kids leave school, particularly seniors. Forging notes is common and kids go off to get stoned. She felt the school doesn't follow through on this. Another parent said the first thing a kid says when there is trouble is "My parents are going to kill me." She said parents don't know where their kids are, even those who think they do. Mrs. Rees said she doesn't ask the school to parent her child, but she felt there have been times when the school has challenged the morality she teaches her children. She felt that students don't respect the adults in the school. She felt problems have to be solved together and parents shouldn't be shielded from problems. Another parent said what is needed is a place for kids to get together and enjoy each other's company in a safe atmosphere. She suggested opening the school in the evening with parent volunteers in art, sports, etc. She also felt the school shouldn't be expected to teach morality. Troy Porter, a 1984 graduate and a police officer, said the problem is peer pressure. Kids know what is right and wrong. They know drugs are bad. But the pressure is enormous. Martha Campione, Director of Green Mountain Prevention Programs, said S. Burlington is not unique in terms of problems but there is not a great opportunity for the community to do something about the problems. She said a lot of the problem is self-esteem. She said it is important for parents to know how much peer pressure means to a kid's life. Mrs. Lothrop said 75% of the kids in her child's class want drugs legalized. She also noted that drug and alcohol use is rampant at the Quarry on warm afternoons. She also noted that rooms were rented at hotels on Prom night and drugs and alcohol were used there. She said parents and 18 year olds are renting these rooms. Chief Searles acknowledged this is true and involves all schools. Mr. Ladeau said only a handful of parents attend drug and alcohol programs and adults have to look carefully at the behavior they are modeling. Mrs. Heutz said she is concerned that her child be protected by the school system. The people in this case were in the school and the kids say they were "nice people." She was concerned about outsiders having access to kids. Mr. Ladeau said they are trying to be more vigilant and said that at the time the people were in the building, no one had any idea what they were up to. Other parents said that teachers had told them not enough is being done about the problem. Mr. Murray said it is apparent there is a problem and that people want to put the blame on someone. He said the first thing that needs to be done is to identify the problem without pointing fingers at each other. Mr. Dinklage added that there are situations that parents can't anticipate. He noted his daughter had met these people and felt they were "flashy, good dancers." He said there are many situations children can't control. Mr. Murray asked if the success of the DARE program has been gauged. Chief Searles said they have to depend on other people's data and can only gauge attitudes. In other areas, research says behaviors are changing. Bob Hawke of the Police Department said the Swisher Reports indicate a decrease in reported use of drug and alcohol by students. He felt it might be good to talk with the Swisher people and have them do a study in S. Burlington. Mr. Cimonetti said S. Burlington is a unique community because of its Steering Committee, and he felt this group could be used to try to make a change. Mr. Cimonetti then moved that the Steering Committee of South Burlington, consisting of the duly elected members of the School Board and City Council, meet jointly and publicly no less frequently than every two (2) months to discuss the prevalence of illegal use of alcohol and other addictive substances and to develop programs for the improvement of the well-being and the education of our students. Mr. Murray seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Mr. Dinklage said there truly isn't a place for kids to congregate in circumstances that would be assuring to parents. A parent noted that the recently defeated Recreation Center could have been such a place. Mr. Flaherty said he had 3 children go through the school system. Drugs and violence exist in society and there is no magic bullet to solve the problems. He said things have to be improved and a safe school atmosphere provided. Mr. Condos said he graduated 23 years ago. The names and faces have changed, but the places kids go to have not. He stressed the need to work as a community and stop pointing fingers. He also stressed the need for communication and people telling what they know. As there was no further business to come before the meeting, the Steering Committee adjourned at 9:45 PM. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.