Handler John Dolan and Shatzie walking in a locker room...

Handler John Dolan and Shatzie walking in a locker room of Sachem High School. Credit: Joel Cairo

Kids need to face

real consequences

I'm writing in response to your article "Division on drug proposal" [News, Dec. 18] regarding police drug-sniffing dogs in school and drug-testing athletes. Hiring more guidance counselors and social workers, as one superintendent suggests, is a costly and wasteful measure to a real challenge.

As a former troubled youth who, even as an athlete, flew under the radar, I fell through the cracks. My guidance counselor spent time with students who were on the "fast track" toward big-name colleges, and who had pushy and ultra-involved parents. Spending more of taxpayers' money on these wasteful positions would not guarantee results.

What guarantees results? Using our men and women in blue to teach our children a lesson I later learned: responsibility, and the earlier they learn it, the better. I eventually learned my lesson and became a professional with a master's degree.

Money does not solve everything, and sometimes the fear of real consequences is necessary.

Nancy Laurice

Melville

NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses. Credit: Randee Dadonna

Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.

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