Churchill County schools now have some LAW.
The Let’s All Work (LAW) Publications program, that is, has returned through a partnership of the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office and Churchill County School District to assist in substance abuse education and more. According to the organization’s website (http://www.lawpublications.net/) the primary purpose of LAW is to educate children and adults about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse, in addition to other safety issues such as identity theft and gang-related violence prevention.
Information about the program is available in school libraries and racks have been added to enhance visibility, according to Steve Russell, the school district’s Safety Committee chairman.
“I like it because it’s a good opportunity to reach the younger kids,” Russell said. “They have coloring books for the younger kids where they can draw in, and each of the messages have a moral to the story. They have Bradford Beaver showing you how to handle bullies, how to be safe and how to watch out for strangers.”
This marks a return to Churchill County for LAW, which previously existed in the early 1990s, according to Sheriff Ben Trotter.
“It gives some pretty interesting information and it’s really kept up to date as far as the new drugs (like Spice),” Trotter said. “This is an excellent source for supplementing what D.A.R.E. does. D.A.R.E. is great, but there are some things it doesn’t address that this program does.”
Russell pointed out the hand out information is a helpful tool in the classroom.
“If a teacher is making a presentation on drugs or alcohol, they have backup stuff to hand it out so that students can take home and also share with their parents,” Russell said.
“And the good thing about it, you’ve got sponsors that are footing the bill for it; that’s a plus-plus, you can’t lose.”
Programs such as this are “essential” to any school district, he went on.
“Students pick things up from each other, and once in a while they need to be shown the consequences of some of the choices they may make,” Russell said. “We’re looking forward to seeing the results of this program. We may not see results right away, these results we will see in the future and we’re looking forward to seeing how they look.”