WFSB (East Windsor, CT) February 27, 2014:
"Parents expressed concerns over a recent drug problem at East Windsor High School after four high school students were hospitalized, including one to the intensive care unit.
East Windsor police confirmed on Tuesday that one student had to be rushed via ambulance to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford and is in the intensive care unit after overdosing on the drug. That student is expected to survive, while two others were taken in just for precautionary measures.
Even more troubling is that the latest incident happened on same day that the high school held an assembly addressing the death of a 14-year-old honor student, who police said died from an apparent heroin overdose.
'Our issue is right here, right now,' said parent Grace Vieira, of East Windsor." Read More
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Hidden cameras reveal adults buying alcohol for underage 'teens'
TODAY, February 26, 2014
"Spring break is coming up, and that means underage kids looking to score alcohol.
Underage drinking can turn tragic. Each year, 4,700 people under the age of 21 die from causes related to drinking, from alcohol poisoning to drunk driving accidents. And authorities say it's often an adult supplying the booze.
To test that assertion, TODAY set up an experiment on a Friday afternoon in suburban New Jersey, wiring a liquor store with a hidden camera and hiring two actors, both over 21, to pose as underage teens.
The actors approached nearly two dozen customers to make purchases for them, and none of the men gave them alcohol. But, surprisingly, several women were a different story." Read More
"Spring break is coming up, and that means underage kids looking to score alcohol.
Underage drinking can turn tragic. Each year, 4,700 people under the age of 21 die from causes related to drinking, from alcohol poisoning to drunk driving accidents. And authorities say it's often an adult supplying the booze.
To test that assertion, TODAY set up an experiment on a Friday afternoon in suburban New Jersey, wiring a liquor store with a hidden camera and hiring two actors, both over 21, to pose as underage teens.
The actors approached nearly two dozen customers to make purchases for them, and none of the men gave them alcohol. But, surprisingly, several women were a different story." Read More
In Glastonbury, A Father Offers Lessons For Parents On Safe Teen Driving
The Courant (Glastonbury, CT) February 26, 2014:
"When it comes to teenage driving, Tim Hollister wants parents to remember that the most important messages they can give their children involve passengers, alcohol, curfew, texting and seatbelts.
As a father of a teenage driver, Hollister thought he was educated parent until his son, Reid, was killed in a 2006 crash. Since Reid's death, Hollister, a Bloomfield resident, has been helping to craft the state's new graduated driver's licensing law and getting his safe-driving message out to parents and teens across the state.
On Wednesday, Hollister was the guest of the Glastonbury Education Foundation for a presentation on teen safe driving in front of a packed Riverfront Community Center crowd. Hollister is the author of 'Not So Fast: Parenting Your Teen through the Dangers of Driving.' He also writes a blog — http://www.fromreidsdad.org — to help parents navigate 'the most dangerous times of their children's lives.'
Hollister called the fatalities and injuries from teen driving a 'true public safety crisis that demands our attention.'" Read More
"When it comes to teenage driving, Tim Hollister wants parents to remember that the most important messages they can give their children involve passengers, alcohol, curfew, texting and seatbelts.
As a father of a teenage driver, Hollister thought he was educated parent until his son, Reid, was killed in a 2006 crash. Since Reid's death, Hollister, a Bloomfield resident, has been helping to craft the state's new graduated driver's licensing law and getting his safe-driving message out to parents and teens across the state.
On Wednesday, Hollister was the guest of the Glastonbury Education Foundation for a presentation on teen safe driving in front of a packed Riverfront Community Center crowd. Hollister is the author of 'Not So Fast: Parenting Your Teen through the Dangers of Driving.' He also writes a blog — http://www.fromreidsdad.org — to help parents navigate 'the most dangerous times of their children's lives.'
Hollister called the fatalities and injuries from teen driving a 'true public safety crisis that demands our attention.'" Read More
Monday, February 24, 2014
Wilton's Dirty, Not-So-Secret Secret: Parents and Teen Drinking
Good Morning Wilton (Wilton, CT) February 18, 2014:
"Just last month, many Wilton teens attended The County Assembly Charity Ball (the 'Counties' as it’s familiarly known), the yearly, multi-town dance for high school juniors from Wilton and surrounding Fairfield County towns (Westport, Fairfield and Weston). Traditionally, it’s set up for girls to ask dates to the dance. High school seniors have their corresponding Red and White Charity Ball, which, this year, was held the night before Counties. Both dances were at the Stamford Marriott.
As advertised, organizers have breathalizers at the dance, and alcohol and drugs are forbidden. The kids are breathalized and every bag, purse and jacket is checked for contraband. As Wilton dad Jason Witty, whose daughter* attended Counties, put it, 'There’s every length gone to at the function. The after-party, however, was a different story.'
Witty contacted GOOD Morning Wilton to talk about the dirty not-so-hidden secret about high school parties in town–parties where not only do kids drink, but they do so with alcohol supplied by the teens’ parents. Witty reached out not to ‘tattle,’ per se, but more to open the dialogue. 'It’s swept under the rug and not talked about. It’s got to be a discussion we have, it’s a key topic, especially for the kids.'" Read More
"Just last month, many Wilton teens attended The County Assembly Charity Ball (the 'Counties' as it’s familiarly known), the yearly, multi-town dance for high school juniors from Wilton and surrounding Fairfield County towns (Westport, Fairfield and Weston). Traditionally, it’s set up for girls to ask dates to the dance. High school seniors have their corresponding Red and White Charity Ball, which, this year, was held the night before Counties. Both dances were at the Stamford Marriott.
As advertised, organizers have breathalizers at the dance, and alcohol and drugs are forbidden. The kids are breathalized and every bag, purse and jacket is checked for contraband. As Wilton dad Jason Witty, whose daughter* attended Counties, put it, 'There’s every length gone to at the function. The after-party, however, was a different story.'
Witty contacted GOOD Morning Wilton to talk about the dirty not-so-hidden secret about high school parties in town–parties where not only do kids drink, but they do so with alcohol supplied by the teens’ parents. Witty reached out not to ‘tattle,’ per se, but more to open the dialogue. 'It’s swept under the rug and not talked about. It’s got to be a discussion we have, it’s a key topic, especially for the kids.'" Read More
Bullying reported to impact children's physical and mental health
The Examiner, February 18, 2014:
"Bullying is commonplace among schoolchildren throughout the US and public awareness of the problem is increasing. A new study evaluated bullying among children as they progressed from elementary school through high school and examined its physical and mental health effects. They published their findings online on February 17 in the journal Pediatrics. The study was conducted by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts), Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts), the RAND Corporation (Santa Monica, California), the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (Houston, Texas), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama).
The researchers note that bullying is a form of peer victimization and studies have reported that children who experience bullying have poorer mental and physical health; however, few studies have investigated these relationships over time. Therefore, they conducted a study of bullying longitudinally (over time) in regard to mental and physical health from elementary to high school. They compared the effects of different types of bullying." Read More
"Bullying is commonplace among schoolchildren throughout the US and public awareness of the problem is increasing. A new study evaluated bullying among children as they progressed from elementary school through high school and examined its physical and mental health effects. They published their findings online on February 17 in the journal Pediatrics. The study was conducted by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts), Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts), the RAND Corporation (Santa Monica, California), the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (Houston, Texas), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama).
The researchers note that bullying is a form of peer victimization and studies have reported that children who experience bullying have poorer mental and physical health; however, few studies have investigated these relationships over time. Therefore, they conducted a study of bullying longitudinally (over time) in regard to mental and physical health from elementary to high school. They compared the effects of different types of bullying." Read More
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Two questions you should ask your teens about drugs and alcohol
TODAY Health, February 18, 2014
"Having 'The Talk' with your child doesn't necessarily just mean a conversation about sex. As kids get older, many parents wonder what they should say about drugs and alcohol to help them navigate their teen years.
Dr. Logan Levkoff and Dr. Jennifer Wider understand. They're the authors of the new book 'Got Teens? The Doctor Moms' Guide to Sexuality, Social Media and Other Adolescent Realities.'
They told TODAY's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb the two things parents should always find out from their children about alcohol and drug use, but may be too embarrassed to ask." Read More
"Having 'The Talk' with your child doesn't necessarily just mean a conversation about sex. As kids get older, many parents wonder what they should say about drugs and alcohol to help them navigate their teen years.
Dr. Logan Levkoff and Dr. Jennifer Wider understand. They're the authors of the new book 'Got Teens? The Doctor Moms' Guide to Sexuality, Social Media and Other Adolescent Realities.'
They told TODAY's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb the two things parents should always find out from their children about alcohol and drug use, but may be too embarrassed to ask." Read More
Friday, February 14, 2014
Is Big Marijuana The Next Big Tobacco?
CT News Junkie (Hartford, CT) February 10, 2014
"A national anti-marijuana organization put down roots in Connecticut on Monday and warned that legalization efforts are poised to create a public health crisis in the form of the 'next Big Tobacco.'
At a Hartford press conference, the Connecticut Association of Prevention Practitioners announced it would be partnering with Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a national group co-founded by former Rhode Island congressman Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Sabet, a former White House policy advisor.
Sabet said that the marijuana movement that has led to the drug’s legal recreational use in the states of Colorado and Washington is being driven by money and not from a 'mom and pop' marijuana industry. He said it is 'multimillion dollar, multinational conglomerate.'" Read More
"A national anti-marijuana organization put down roots in Connecticut on Monday and warned that legalization efforts are poised to create a public health crisis in the form of the 'next Big Tobacco.'
At a Hartford press conference, the Connecticut Association of Prevention Practitioners announced it would be partnering with Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a national group co-founded by former Rhode Island congressman Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Sabet, a former White House policy advisor.
Sabet said that the marijuana movement that has led to the drug’s legal recreational use in the states of Colorado and Washington is being driven by money and not from a 'mom and pop' marijuana industry. He said it is 'multimillion dollar, multinational conglomerate.'" Read More
Mentoring Partnership helping to improve children’s lives throughout the area
New Britain Herald (New Britain, CT) February 12, 2014
"Mentors and thousands of other volunteers statewide help improve children’s lives. Still, mentors are desperately needed in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Mentoring Partnership, a Governor’s Prevention Partnership initiative.
CMP, along with mentoring programs across the state, is working to recruit mentors and spread the word about why mentoring is so important to the well-being of a child in need.
'As the statewide leader for youth mentoring, the goal of the partnership is to improve the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships,' said Jill Spineti, GPP’s president and CEO.
Based on analysis of census and school data, 'we estimate that over 3,000 young people in New Britain could benefit from having a mentor,' Spineti said." Read More
"Mentors and thousands of other volunteers statewide help improve children’s lives. Still, mentors are desperately needed in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut Mentoring Partnership, a Governor’s Prevention Partnership initiative.
CMP, along with mentoring programs across the state, is working to recruit mentors and spread the word about why mentoring is so important to the well-being of a child in need.
'As the statewide leader for youth mentoring, the goal of the partnership is to improve the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships,' said Jill Spineti, GPP’s president and CEO.
Based on analysis of census and school data, 'we estimate that over 3,000 young people in New Britain could benefit from having a mentor,' Spineti said." Read More
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