Tulsa Public Schools Asks Parents To Safeguard Their Medications

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The growing problem of kids with drugs at school is changing.

Drugs have always been a problem, but there's a new trend of children passing out pills that came from their parents -- prescription drugs. The latest case in Tulsa involved elementary age children.

The incident Friday involved 4th and 5th graders at Disney Elementary School. Despite all the warnings about drugs, a female student gave out prescription muscle relaxers to her friends.

3/5/2010  Related Story: Tulsa Elementary Students Treated For Drug Use 

The school determined four students took the pills.

"We don't see a lot of kids who take something without knowing what it is, so that's the scary part of this incident is that several students took something that someone gave them and they really didn't know what it was," said Chief Gary Rudick, Tulsa Public Schools Police.

Chief Rudick says prescription drugs are a growing problem, even among younger children, and he believes it goes back to the parents.

"There's very little that schools can do to overcome what parents will not do, and parents in today's society don't perceive that prescription drugs are a threat and because they don't, kids don't see it as a threat either," said Chief Rudick.

TPS police say the student at Disney got the medication at home, and didn't realize it was illegal and dangerous to give them out. 

The district sent a letter home to parents Monday, urging them to use caution with medication at home, so their children don't end up taking it to school.

Read the letter sent to parents.

"It's going to be important to ramp up the say no campaign to ensure that the students, whether or not they were involved, they understand this is something to stay away from and say no to," said Millard House, Tulsa Public Schools.

All of the students involved are reported to be fine, and will face school discipline, but no criminal charges.