By REBECCA SHALOMOFF
That was the startling message relayed by Hewlett-Woodmere School District and police officials during a hastily-called meeting on Nov. 28 about drug and alcohol abuse among Hewlett High School students.
Principal Joyce Bisso began the meeting by holding up a silver invitation to Float, a popular club in Manhattan. She produced the invitation, which has been distributed illegally in school, as a graphic illustration for parents who attended the meeting.
This invitation, along with many others distributed illegally in school, have the names of popular Hewlett High School students listed as promoters in order to lure more students to the club, where drug use takes place, she said.
"Your family name is on here without your permission. It's a violation of a family right," Ms. Bisso told parents.
A spokesperson for Float had no knowledge of the club's promotion in suburban Long Island communities, especially to those who are underage. She said the club hires its own promoters in New York City, and has no idea why students at Hewlett High School would act as promoters for the club. Only one underage party in the last year was organized at Float on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The party was a charity event and no drinking was allowed. But that didn't stop kids from disguising bottles filled with alcohol and sneaking them into the club, she said. The special party, which was to end at 4 A.M., was terminated at 1 A.M. because the police came to the club and found underage drinkers furtively guzzling alcohol.
Last week's meeting at Hewlett High School was organized as a result of tremendous feedback from the parents after a Nov. 15 town-hall meeting, which drew nearly 600 people, the largest gathering for a meeting in the school's history, according to Dr. Charles Fowler, Hewlett-Woodmere School District superintendent. During that meeting, planned well in advance, students and teachers told of substance abuse by former and current Hewlett High School students. Panelists included school administrators, faculty, parents and students, as well as representatives from the Tempo Group and police from the Fourth Precinct.
The follow-up meeting, which did not have as large a turnout, explored strategies and solutions for coping with teenage drug and alcohol abuse. Seeking professional help and chaperoning parties were suggested at the first meeting.
Finding alternatives to New York City clubs such as Float and Exit that allegedly enable drug use was the focus of the follow-up meeting.
Ron Walsh, Fourth Precinct police officer and a panelist at the Nov. 28 meeting, told of his experience at Exit, where most of the club-goers were on the drug Ecstasy. Exit is said to be frequented by many Hewlett High School students.
Officer Walsh went to the club one night, off-duty, to see what goes on at such parties attended predominantly by suburban kids. "It was unbelievable," he said.
A spokesperson for Exit had no comment.
"There is no safe haven for kids," said a community member.
Ms. Bisso said it's important that kids continue to hang out with each other and that parents should develop relationships with the parents of their children's friends. But she added, "What we don't have is another place to go to other than school, home and the docks."
Johnathan Bezalel, a student panelist, agreed, "There's nothing to do at night."
"We need a place for kids to gather," said a parent.
Parents were urged to sign up to support the creation of a community task force to deal with problems such as finding positive activities for students and working on creating a local place for them to go.
Ms. Bisso told parents to encourage their children, especially those who are freshmen, to become involved in extracurricular clubs and athletics as a way to direct their attention and energy toward positive activities.
"Kids involved athletically are less likely to abuse drugs," said Barry Wilansky, executive director of Tempo Group in Woodmere, which helps counsel kids on drugs.
Barbara Bezalel, Johnathan's mother, said there are plenty of underutilized facilities available, such as local recreational programs. She said if the parents "make it seem cool," their children will think so, too.
One parent suggested using the high school as more of a social resource by scheduling athletic games on Friday and Saturday nights to give students something to do on the weekends. In addition, she said that more intramural programs should be set up for students who do not make the athletic teams.
In neighboring Lawrence, efforts to tackle the substance-abuse problem among students is also taking place. At the Nov. 30 meeting of the recently formed Community Wellness Committee, chairperson Pat Pizzarelli, the school district's supervisor of physical education, said, "Anyone interested in our kids doing things that put their lives at risk" should join.
