Fighting for Lynbrook's youth

Drug and alcohol abuse has been a problem among Lynbrook students for many years, and there has been no shortage of organizations aimed at combating it. No single group has made a major dent in the problem, however, so now, for the first time, several organizations are planning to team up.

Sgt. Joseph Cipolla of the Lynbrook Police Department hosted a meeting on Jan. 10 at the Lynbrook School District’s administrative building on Atlantic Avenue, inviting community members who he thought might be interested in forming a coalition. Schools Superintendent Santo Barbarino, Assistant Superintendent of Business Melissa Burak and Chamber of Commerce President Bill Gaylor were among the 14 people who attended, along with representatives of the Lynbrook Council of PTAs, the Lynbrook Character Counts Committee, the East Rockaway/Lynbrook Clergy Association, the high school’s SADD club and the Herald.

“There’s not a lack of effort on the part of different stakeholders here to do something about it,” Cipolla said of the drug and alcohol problem. “Unfortunately, we’re not hitting it right, and I think maybe if we form a coalition, if we work together and coordinate our efforts, maybe we could accomplish more.”

Attendees said they were more than willing to get involved and do their part to help a coalition, but they acknowledged that the task they face is far from easy. “The only thing you really need is a tremendous amount of patience,” said Judith Vining, coordinator of the Long Beach Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking. “It takes a long time to get all of this done.”

Vining told the other attendees about potential roadblocks that might impede a coalition’s work and outlined different ways to get the effort off the ground. She described several ways of communicating with students and parents so that they fully understand the severity of the problem.