Speaking to the heroin and substance abuse crisis in New Hampshire, School Board member John Laferriere called for Londonderry School District administrators to investigate what, if any, programs the District should establish to ensure students are being properly educated on the issue.
“I think we as a board and community need to understand how we need to educate our children on the dangers of this drug,” he said. “I’m asking for the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent to look at how we can communicate this, and what programs we can put in place as far as communication and education are concerned and come back to the board. I think it’s an epidemic and something we need to address.”
Following the meeting, Assistant Superintendant Scott Laliberte said he and Superintendent Nate Greenberg had met to discuss the programs the District already has in place to address substance abuse and misuse, as well as ways the District can partner with efforts and community resources already in place to address the heroin and substance abuse crisis.
“At the next Board meeting or soon after, we will present an overview of what we already do, and what are the missing pieces,” Laliberte said. “We understand the scope of the problem, and we certainly want to participate in being the solution.
Although the high school isn’t immune to incidents where students misuse substances, Laliberte said he isn’t aware of any documented cases involving a student using heroin.
At the Nov. 3 meeting, Laferriere emphasized that Londonderry students are not immune to being exposed to the heroin epidemic, and the District need to be “as proactive with it as possible.”