Nassau middle school drug programs focus of workshop

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and District Attorney Kathleen Rice will host a workshop next week to help middle schools implement effective drug prevention programs.

“The statistics are startling,” Mangano said. “Approximately 4.5 million American children, age 12 and older, reported abusing prescription drugs, while one in three teens reported having a close friend who does.”

Mangano said, “The journey often begins when children in middle school experiment with alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. It is a pathway that can be altered with information, education and resources.”

The May 11 workshop — held through the county’s Heroin Task Force and called Building Your Toolbox for Drug Prevention — is to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Morelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage. It will also address strengthening existing drug prevention programs, developing community partnerships, fostering communication within a district, and encouraging the sharing of ideas and resources among school districts.

“Education and prevention is essential to protecting our children from prescription drug abuse,” Rice’s spokesman Chris Munzing said in a statement.

Jericho schools Superintendent Henry Grishman, a past president of both the Nassau and the State Council of School Superintendents, said he “strongly urges each district to attend this important activity.”

To register, call 516-571-6105.