Our prayers are with these families at this difficult time. I'm sure many parents are at home hugging their children and like me, sympathizing with those who are having to face such difficulties. God Bless and keep you.

Kimberly

I hope all Forsyth schools see this as a wake up call & get serious about drug education & prevention. Further, I hope South kicks all these users and pushers out of school... permanently.

they need to fire the entire administration especially branch and cheney pce

First and formost I want to send my prayers to the families involved. I don't think we need to be blaming the administration . If us as parents don't know what is going on , how do we expect the school leaders to know any better !? What I take from this is- Know who your children are with , what they are doing and talk talk talk to them.

SFHS has the worst drug problem of all the high schools in Forsyth. Every time we deal with these issues the parents blame everybody but their kid. Most of the problems come from the parent's own medicine cabinets

I do not believe that the administration should be blamed for this at all. When I was in high school, all you ever heard about was South kids doing this... South kids doing that... It was rediculous!!! If parents would realize what their kids are really doing and do something to prevent it, things would be a lot better.

Education begins at home. Parents are responsible for their children, teaching them right from wrong, educating them about drugs and alcohol, knowing where they are and whom they are with. Don't blame the schools, the teachers, the administration. Teachers barely have the time to teach the basic academics. And now, parents want teachers to parent our children, also! We parents need to take responsiblity for our children. They are not the teacher's responsibility.

I run the calls with these kids, their parents are the problem. When they wreck their sports cars, its the roads fault; when they get arrested, its the cops fault; when they OD, its the friends fault. Sooner or later these parents have put the blame where it belongs. Then again when the same parents get a foreclosure notice for not paying their bills, they will blame the mortgage company for tricking them into buying a golf coarse house they couldn't afford

My thoughts and prayers are with these kids and their families. My son had his drink tampered several years ago, which landed him in the hospital, So I know how terrible this is.

This should be a wake up call to parents and administration and the police department too. We need more drug education and intervention programs in F orsyth County . We are severely lacking and it is putting an enormous amount of GOOD kids at risk. Enough of the Blame Game, let's get something done.

Get it out of our schools NOW. Forsyth County Schools and the Forsyth Police Dept need to work together to make it right.

Public Safety,

In times today people do tend to blame the other what something that has happened, but do you agree that education on the issues at hand would at least open the eyes of parents? Remember at North High before prom "Ghost Out"? Money is available for this kind of education if the FCSO would use it properly.

My opinion is that the schools and the sheriff's office are not doing enough. Good kids are getting hurt in Forsyth County by drugs in our schools. Any concerned parent needs to put pressure on the school system and the sheriff's dept to get better or improved drug education programs to prevent tragedies and prevent kids from getting hurt. The kids are our future. Drugs in schools need to stop. This should not be acceptable in our schools, regardless of who people think they can blame. We have a great community and I think business leaders, the school board and the sheriff's office as well as concerned citizens and parents should work together to prevent any more of this. I pray for these kids that they make a full recovery

i go to south forsyth and i am friends with two of the boys it happend to. the administration sucks completely, fire cheney & branch asap. we wouldnt have this problem if we got some sort of sercurity measures.

Alix,

I'm not saying you're wrong... I'm interested in your perspective. Since you're close to it, what specifically is the admin doing wrong? If you were Branch, what would you do differently? How is Branch different than his predecessor?

It kind of makes me angry to see people immediately blame the schools, the admin, the police, or the parents. These were 15 year old boys. They knew better than to do this.

I know one of the boys, and know his parents too. They are good parents. They have taught him right from wrong, and they have taught him by example. I am sure they are sitting in his hospital room blaming themselves this very minute. It's not their fault. They taught their kids not to take drugs. The schools taught them not to take drugs, and so did the police. The kids did it anyway.

I think sometimes kids just do stupid things. They don't think about the consequences, or even if they do, they feel invincible and don't believe it could happen to them.

Hopefully, they will all be okay and more importantly, will all learn a very important lesson. The best thing that could happen from all of this is that three 15 year old boys will never do anything like this again, and maybe even could convince other kids just how dangerous this is.

Some of the over the counter medicines are extremely dangerous, especially if mixed with something else or if someone has an allergy. This could be part of the education programs too. I don't think that is currently being taught in the curriculum, if it is I am not aware of it.

Abuse of prescription meds is at an all time high among youth according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. And studies have shown that some of this begins as early as middle school. Education about prescription meds and even over the counter meds can be made part of an education program and or drug prevention curriculum. Some counties around the nation have Youth Drug Task Forces that cooperate together between schools, parents, and police departments. Some of these programs involve mentoring youth to learn what to do about negative peer pressure and how to instill positive peer pressure to create an environment in a school to lessen the possibility of drugs infiltrating the school. There is no 'one bullet' answer to a very complex problem in public schools. It is a constant problem in schools around the country, this county doesn't seem to be an exception.

I have to say, as a senior citizen, that drugs (illegal and legal) have always been a problem in society/schools. However, one thing that's changed is our medicine cabinets at home. When I grew up, the only thing in my parent's medicine cabinet was Bayer Aspirin, a partial bottle of Penicillin left over from an illness and some antacids. Today, medication is the answer to virtually every problem in our society. As a direct result of my upbringing, the only thing in my medicine cabinet is Tylenol and toothpaste. Go home and look in yours. Are you modeling behavior that says, "I'm responsible for my health"? Are you eating well, exercising and living a healthy lifestyle? Or are you relying on prescription medications, alcohol and tobacco as answers for your excuses?

First of all I would say I completely agree with Frank. I know the kids made the decision to do what they did but it was the administration that allowed that to go on at a school campus. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS and un-american. If they want to make sure this does not happen again they need to start with a new administration.

Renaldo, Frank & Alix,

I repeat... what specifically is the admin doing wrong? If you were Branch, what would you do differently? How is Branch different than his predecessor or other schools' admin?

Without specifics, you sound like a student (or parent of a student in denial) that simply got in trouble at school and is mad at Branch.

i think blame can be partly landed in each area... the parent for not paying attention to what their child is getting involved in, the administration for not having more drug checks (they cannot say they had no idea that South had a drug problem... if they try to pull that one, then they are ignorant and shouldn't be in the administration), and finally, the biggest portion of blame is on the students themselves. They are 15 year olds, and by now can make basic decisions for themselves without having their hands held. They should know better than to take drugs both legal and illegal, when they are not prescribed.

i think the most that can come out of this is for the awareness of the big drug problem that South has, and maybe the police station that is behind the school can bring the dogs a bit more often than once a year.

Everyone wants to blame parents. Even good children get into bad trouble. Even great parents have children that makes mistakes. We need to take a different approach to informing students of choices that they make. What would happen if you abuse cold medicine? Maybe if they would have saw that video this wouldn't have happened. Just let children understand what happens if you use and abuse.

I don't think drug sniffing dogs is the answer to over the counter medicines. I am curious on what exactly the drug sniffing dogs can pick up.. is that just for illicit street drugs, or for prescription meds too?

Cough syrups sometimes contain ingredients that are hallucinogenic when taken in large quantities or if a person is sensitive to it , especially if it's an ingredient called dextromethorphan (?sp) or dxm

It is not a simple problem that can be handled with just drug sniffing dogs. Sorry, but when my kid was 15, he didn't know that cough medicine could be dangerous, I had to teach him and it really isn't something you think about it as a parent either. It was not taught at school either at the time, but maybe it should be.

This website is from The US Drug Enforcement, dept of justice

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugsconcern/dextrom/dextro_m.htm

All kinds of information on DXM which is in a lot of cold medicines...street name.. skittling, robotripping, etc.

The stuff could be deadly, please warn your kids.

First off -- to Alix, who said "the administration sucks completely" -- You are really going to blame the ADMINISTRATION for your friends using drugs last week?? Your FRIENDS made that choice; the administration did not. Therefore, the administration is NOT to blame for this issue.

Secondly, The parents do play a big factor in this. They should not let their children do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it. I know many people who hardly even know where their children are over the weekends, or who they are hanging out with. The same parent is then surprised to learn that their child does drugs??

Forsyth County has a HUGE problem with drugs, and its sad that people do not see it. Parents should be involved in their child's life and know what they are doing when they are away from home. We should have much harsher penalties for drug use, instead of just a slap on the hand. This county and the school system need to do something before MORE students overdose at school.

We certainly can't be imprisoning kids that take over the counter medicines and deny them an education.

It starts with education. Back in the day when my oldest was in school, cold tablets were being passed around like candy and that started in middle school. Skittling was all the rage several years ago and kids of GOOD parents had this happening to them too. It is a pervasive and an insidious problem. I have got 2 other kids coming up again, I pray the school system makes every effort to do a better job.. , There also were kids bringing in crazy 'all natural' products too and passing those out. That was all the rage too - you know the kind you get at GNC. Some of those products have since been taken off the market, because they were found to have designer steroids in them and a host of other chemical ingredients, slipped in by the manufacturer. There were people being hospitalized and sickened from it too. I had to call the FDA to clarify what the heck was in those products.. lo and behold there were criminal investigations going on regarding those. The kids had no idea at the time either.

I really think there are much better solutions than pre-judging any parent or child going through something like this.

A lot of times kids have no clue that medicine can be used/abused. They think of it as medicine and not as a drug, that's where education comes in and where schools can play an integral part.

I graduated from South Forsyth in 2001 and there was as much (if not more) of a drug problem there then as there is now. Therefore, I do not believe that the problem lies within the administration or the teachers. The problem is with the students and their influence on other students. It is passed down from class to class - and alot probably has to do with the plethora of "rich kids" that have the money to spend on drugs, etc... I believe they need to have speakers come in and talk to the kids about the long term effects that drugs have had on their lives. I, for example, had drug problems back in high school and it has definately had some long terms on my brain and my mental capacities - I have been told by doctors. Drugs are a problem - and kids need to realize that before it's too late.

I graduated from South Forsyth in 1995, and all I have to say is there was not a drug prblem back then. I was shocked to hear this happen to my former school, the best possible solution seems to be the immediate termination of that so called Dr. Branch, and his little pet Cheney. This school is just going down hill with their leadership.

If the drug the child takes wears off in 4-6 hours, the child could act fine at home. A parent may have no idea his child is using drugs. Haven't you heard it takes a village to raise a child? If you notice something odd, it is YOUR responsiblity as a concerned citizen to report it. A child that sleeps during class should be reported. He should be sent to the clinic, and a call should be made to the parents. I'd think a parent would want to know that. Perhaps test that child for drugs on the spot! If a child is not in class looking alert and ready to learn, something needs to be done. Repeated offenses should expel the child from the class, as he/she is not setting a standard for learning.

Also, if kids hear a peer say they used drugs over the weekend or took something at school, why aren't these kids turning these children in? Have you trained your child to turn in someone who admits to using drugs? If a child does turn him/her in at school, what is the protocol? Is there a action plan out there? Our society has a veil over it's eyes; we notice subtle signs, yet do NOTHING about it. Even after something terrible happens, what is our action plan?? Tolerance is running rampant b/c people are ignoring the problem. Teach your children/teachers to do something about it. Help these parents out. Parent's may not notice. Again, the drug may have worn off by the time the parent sees the child. If a child admits to using drugs, TURN HIM IN. GET HIM HELP. If he falls asleep in class, send him to the clinic. DON'T BE AN ENABLER!

How about an assembly at the school with former students or even people who have had drug problems and now in recovery come in and talk and educate the students. Someone like Heather would be a great start. As a concerned parent, I appreciate people Heather here who tell their story. I think people like Heather would be able to get the kids at South to listen.

Couple years ago heroin and other drugs were beginning to infiltrate a public school in my old hometown. It was really scarey, because several students ended up overdosing and dying, because they were just trying it and experimenting that 1 time. The kids had no idea what they were getting into. So the pta convinced adminsitration to bring in ex addicts and recovering alcoholics to come in and speak to the students on a regular basis. The kids began to identify with the young people who admitted they were now in recovery and it was a hard hard road for them. Maybe this would be a good idea.

And yes, those talks did help, it raised awareness, it got people talking, it got people concerned. It allowedt the kids to be more cautious and careful.

But I do not believe for 1 minute that putting kids in juvie or charging them is always necessary or appropriate. IMHO, We have a school system that loves to punish everybody... and that shouldn't happen either.

The problem KP is a lot of kids are afraid of retaliation. It's not that easy to break away and tell.

My kid received several threats of violence while at school, even by people he didn't even know.

South Forsyth High School used to have an "Anonymous Tip" link on their school website. This would be one good place to report something.

This is a joke! Many parents need to get a solid grip on their children and be more involved. Going to sporting events or taking them to the mall is not the right kind of envolvment. On the other side, teachers and other scholl staff need to have a watchful eye on our kids during school hours. They need to alert parents and or the proper authorities if they see something that is out of the norm. The other thing, monitor your kids PC usage. MySpace, Facebook and sites like this are ripping our kids apart. I dare you to read your kids sites and look at some of the pictures they post. I'm sure most of you will be disgusted with what you find. There is zero MySpace in our household and Facebook usuage requires us having the username and password.

Yeah, It's a good idea to clean your kids' room yourself too. Amazing what you find. You know they have those at home drug tests these days, but that does not test for over the counter meds.

Over the counter meds cannot be detected a lot of times, and some do wear off like KP suggested. A lot of parents do not know how to detect abuse of presecription or over the counter meds. So the solutions are very complex. I still say there needs to be concerned people or recovering people who have abused drugs willing to work with school administration and talk to students in the schools. It's worked elsewhere... why not here? If the community doesn't act to try to help, there will be more incidents.

I would be willing to help out if I could. How about a public service announcement produced by Cumminghome. They would do a great job I bet. If anyone is interested send me an email: baradine@bellsouth.net

Currently a parent of a student at sfhs, i feel that the results of this accident was COMPLETELY Mr. Channey and Branch's fault,just like Frank said. If they weren't so loose on the kids and focused more on the bad choices that come along with the use of drugs! But nope, look what happened! I just thought I should voice my opinion and tell the REAL truth about what is going on at SFHS!

Tell the School To apply for a Grant! http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpsafeschools/fy2008awards.html

There is money available for stuff like this.

I heard that FC schools have all but eliminated health classes from the middle schools due to budget cuts. Middle school is the ideal time to really beef up the drug education with kids. I believe that EVERY student in middle school should have drug education EVERY year in middle school. High schools should remind students with assemblies, guest speakers, etc. every semester since health is only offered one semester of the entire four years of high school.

Well where did all the money go? Too much money spent all these years?? Schools can apply for grants outside of the county. Sometimes grants have strings attached, but it is worth looking into. The US Dept of education has information on this on their website.

Doing an assembly may not even cost much.

Terry B., Federal and State drug seizure money can be spent for education of our children but like I have said in the past the Sheriff feels it is much more important to use this money for his pleasure in purchasing cars for himself to drive instead of trying to help our children. What benifit does the SRO officers have from his pleasure purchases? I will say SFHS does have one of the best SRO officers in the state. He does actually care about the kids and is always concerned with the conditions in school. In this day in time you rarely see someone that actually cares and can listen to the parents and the children at the same time.

Well I just sent a note to Forsyth Schools and volunteered my time to assist in organizing assemblies, public information forums, and searching and applying for grant moneys. I am waiting for a response.

I think part of the problem is the SRO's are stretched too thin, it's just something I have noticed over the years and my observation. I think they do an exceptional job, given the amount of students in the school system. My kids attend middle school, and they don't have their own assigned police officer for that school.

There needs to be more education for the students with assemblies in a straight talk express type forum... something the kids can identify with early on, beginning in middle school. Aside from the health concerns, the legal concerns. A lot of kids have no clue they can end up in juvie for experimenting.

Sheryl, there are health classes in the middle school. It's very informative. I try to stay on top of everything concerning my kids. I'm involved with their grades on parent portal, I talk to their teachers, I check their computer, get to know their friends, and I talk talk talk. We have an adult home almost 100% of the time when the kids get home from school, or anytime they are at home. I snoop as much as possible. I don't want to be that parent that thought it couldn't happen to my child. I don't blame the school system. It all starts at home. But no matter what, kids will make their own choices. We just try to educate our kids that choices come with consequences. My child did attend SFHS, and made me aware of the amount of drug use there on the property. Who's to blame? I don't think it should all point to the administration staff. But it's always easier to place the blame elsewhere.

Okayy - So I'm a 15 year old myself . I don't live in forsyth but I have MANY friends that do live in that area . One of the 3 boys is a longg time greatt friend of mine , and it happens to be the one that had the worst consequences out of it, Stephen . l know that a good percentage of kids do some kind of drugs in that area , most beingg weed . It's not just SFHS it's really all the forsyth schools. I have friends from all of them . I don't think the administration can really do anything about the problem . No matter what pre-cautions you take kids will find away around them . The schools are just so big . In my high school the entire population of the school is the sophmore class of NFHS . It's just that there are so many kids and so little administrators . The way to stop this is for parents to study up on the terms so when there kids talk about it you know what they are talkingg about , and pay close attention to your kids and who they are with . Find out information about thier friends . I'm sorry if I affended anyone :/ .

So I've read blaming the administration , the children , and the parents . It's really partiall all thier faults ,a amd more than that it's the friends fault . I know one of the boys and he never does this kind of stuff , it was obviously a friend that told him to do it . I'm pretty sure his parents didn't . Then it was a friend who gave him the liquid Methedone . How can you blame administration - I mean maybe they don't pay enough attention but they are only human . And the parents - yeaa you do deserve some blame for not knowing but sometimes you just never know . I agree with "friend of the students" on finding out the terms and what they mean like "skittling, robotripping, ect . And find out about their friends - study up on who they are , who there parents are , about thier siblings , what they do , where they hang out , if they're involved in drugs . You need to know these things . As for the kids - they make the disision(sp?) but it's because they know they can get away with it . Kids with stricter parents , and that are more involved in thier lives(not trying to offend parents) are less likely to do it because they know they will get caught . I know , I'm one of those kids myself . This is my opinion and I'm sorry if some people don't like me .

If you want more things on what I have to say

xrockstarrrr461x@aim.com

BUT schools have the ability to prevent such things through grant dollars for drug prevention programs. They work to lessen the chances of drugs infiltrating schools. Some people think they don't work, but that is untrue. Schools that have effective drug prevention prorgrams - would not have this happen....irregardless of the parents or the children.

The South Forsyth parents may want to consider strongly urging a drug prevention program such as DARE and others be funded through grant dollars.

It isn't enough to just say 'no', because as the previous poster mentions, kids are under a lot of pressure and are heavily influenced by others.

Waitt - You don't have DARE in Forsyth ? I thoughtt every school had it .

Information on commonly abused drugs and medication: http://www.theantidrug.com/druginfo/prescriptiondangersotcdrugs.asp

Drugs Geared Toward Kids.

Parents please read-- this stuff kills

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-25-flavored-meth_N.htm

Parents and kids say they want to blame the administration at South. It is not administration's fault! It is the parents! They are too busy living their own lives to worry about what their kids are doing. Heaven forbid that parents want to admit that their precious "angels" would ever do drugs. It is no more a problem at South than any other school in Forsyth County. I personally think South does a pretty good job catching the offenders. The other schools don't want it to get out that they have problems. Dr. Branch is the best thing that has ever happened to South! I think my child is a lot safer at South than the other schools in the county.

I'm a student at South. I can't say that I totally agree with everything Branch says or does. But he is a good principal when it comes down to it. It wasn't his fault that 3 immature sophmore boys took cough medicine and almost died. The admin. and teachers can not watch everyone 24/7 while at school. It is their (the boys) responsibilty to do right from wrong. So stop blaming the administration, it was not their fault for this happening. They did what they could and atleast they punished the boys for their actions.

I would like to express my thanks to all the SFHS students & other students that have spoken up. That takes alot of courage & maturity. Bravo to you guys! Your opinion is greatly valued & appreciated.

According to the forsyth county news Sunday paper it says there will be a drug prevention seminar at vickery middle:

http://www.forsythnews.com/news/article/943/

The kids have no idea what they are taking a lot of time.....this is soooo dangerous, especially prescription medicines. I too would like to say thank you to the students that have spoken up as well. I am a parent of 3 children and it is always interesting to see and hear kids' perspectives on important stuff like this.

hey. terry b. GET A LIFE! THE ADMINISTRATION SUCKS!

Sounds to me that someone needs to speak to the school board!

ok...the people that seem to be pointing fingers are pointing them at the COMPLETELY WRONG direction. To blame a Drug Overdose on Dr. Branch and Cheney? Dr. Branch is very new to SFHS and problably was minimally informed about the drug issues that occur within the campus. Had Gary Davison chosen to remain at the school things would have been incredbily worse. Dr. Branch is no pushover unlike his predecessor and deserves the respect and appreciation he needs. I would like to thank Dr. Branch Cheney Mr. Hampton Ms. Korngold ms gordy ms bottoms mr weir and especially Nurse Currie at the school for doing the right thing during that day. I know this administrative team got off to a bad start this year but next semester things might simmer and people will begin to respect Branch and his authority

The admin. and staff at South High are doing an incredible job. This week is Red Ribbon Week and, as with every year, each day is highlighted with another aspect/viewpoint of drug abuse and how to say no to drugs. Knowledge is everything and the teachers and staff make a point to be professional in every aspect. The administration does do something when the facts and evidence is there. Students need to come forward with their observations and not look the other way. Parents need to show their children that it's a privilege to have a roof over their heads and take some privileges away should they not obey the house rules. Too often they'll look the other way hoping and praying they'll make better decisions next time. That doesn't always happen when the same people are trying to get you to try new things and the peer pressure is on. Allow the teachers to go back to what they were trained to do best - teach! They shouldn't have to feel like they have to turn around constantly while using the white board to see who's using their cell phone, passing chewing tobacco or pills. Maybe cameras should be placed in the back of all classrooms as well.

OMG... it amazes me how people can pass judgement without knowing the facts!!! Everyone is so quick to assume that these boys willing and knowingly took drugs!!! Wake up people... two of them had that choice taken from them by the person who handed them a "drugged" drink!!! Welcome to the 21st century...the age of date rape drugs and methadone gatorade!!! We should all be scared!!!

I graduated from South last year and just wrote a paper on how adminstators need to figure out better solutions on the drug issues there, since its such a problem. MAYBE they should create a class all freshmen have to take informing about how drugs can affect their body short- and long- term and the consequnces of having them.