Working Together to Protect Our Students

In response to a recent increase in the use of heroin among adolescents in Suffolk County, the Islip School District and the Islip Drug Education Awareness (IDEA) Task Force held a symposium featuring experts in the field of substance abuse, to share information with parents and community members.

“Heroin abuse has become an epidemic on Long Island and Islip is not immune,” said Carin Winter, Co-chair of the IDEA Task Force and Islip High School social worker specializing in substance abuse. “We must come together to prevent this epidemic from affecting our students.”

“The IDEA Parent Night - Heroin: Protecting Our Children and Our Community” welcomed keynote speaker Dr. Stephen Dewey of the Feinstein Institute of Medical Research; Don Flynn, Islip Public Schools Security; Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, Executive Director of the Long Island Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence; and two teenage recovering addicts from Outreach House.

“There is a serious issue going on and people need to wake up,” stated Mr. Flynn. “It is imperative that everyone open their eyes. We need to work on this together, we need to have open lines of communication.”

The goal of the program was to provide families and community members with accurate information to help prevent substance abuse among our youth and treatment options for substance abuse during adolescence.

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