Superintendent: Community Effort Needed in Drug, Alcohol Prevention

The is hoping to garner community support for an effort to increase drug and alcohol awareness and heighten prevention for district students.

During Tuesday night's board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried spoke about the “culture of the district,” or the characteristics of Montville's public schools outside of the classroom. Fried highlighted the subject of drug and alcohol prevention and awareness in the community.

Though he expressed his appreciation for the organizers and the participants in the high school’s recent before , the superintendent also acknowledged that it is necessary to bring about a “more global effort” from Montville residents to effectively stop drug and alcohol abuse.

“It’s my hope to get a little more involved in this area. I do think this is an issue that can be more focused on,” Fried stated.

Several other local school districts have sought community support for drug and alcohol awareness and prevention efforts in their own ways, including the district, which and charged during drug-related incidents outside of school.

Board Member Michael Palma agreed with Fried’s assessment, pointing out that any effort to combat drugs and alcohol in Montville has to be a “joint venture” between official organizations, such as the board of education and the Drug Awareness Council (DAC), and parents of susceptible teens.

“Kids [using drugs and alcohol] are getting younger and younger. It’s up to the parents to be more proactive,” Palma said.

With this in mind, the Montville Tea Party will be hosting a panel discussion for parents about drug awareness on June 28 at 7 p.m. at the

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the board of education would be hosting the panel discussion.