Kings Park in the kNOw Update

Earlier this month KPITK President Kim Revere arranged for Police Officer Susan Laveglia to speak about the Social Host Law at the mandatory prom meeting at the high school. She also made free drug testing kits available to participants with the help of The Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department. As I have shared in previous blogs, for the last several years, KPITK board members have spent a few hundred hours at the tables of the region’s best and brightest minds in the field of prevention and addiction. However, we have also spent countless hours with administrators from many school districts in Nassau and Suffolk. I am proud to say that Kings Park was one of the first districts to create a mandatory parental prom meeting. I was at that meeting the first year and it was a tremendous eye opener. Most riveting for many in the audience that warm spring evening, was the information given on the Social Host Law. The primary goal and role of the Social Host Law is to deter underage drinking parties and gatherings where adults allow minors to imbibe in alcoholic beverages. The law is applicable to anyone who owns rents or controls a private resident, a permanent or temporary domicile (like a vacation rental home or a campsite or motel). There are some loopholes in which an adult will not be held culpable, however, the law is serious and so are the fines. A first offense can be upward of $500 and a subsequent offense can double that fine and even result in imprisonment. The law and a full explanation can be found on the KPITK website at www.kpintheknow.org In addition, on May 13th, KPITK hosted our first NARCAN training. Narcan also known as Naloxone is an opiate blocker that reverses overdose from heroin or opiate prescription pain killers like Vicodin or Percocet. Long-time friend of KPITK, Dr. Michael Delman was on hand to perform the training. Eighteen people in the audience at the American Legion were shown a short film and then given explicit instructions on how to address a possible opiate overdose and how to administer Narcan. Secretary Denise Mullen said, “One of our goals at KPITK is to get as many people trained as possible, opiate addiction is prevalent in our community and surrounding communities, it might not be your child, it might be a neighbor and if you are trained you can save a life.” So what’s up next for KPITK? We presently putting together our 2nd newsletter for school district parents with some great links and educational podcasts. This summer issue will focus on summer safety and the one hundred most dangerous days of summer for teens. Let’s stay informed, let’s work together to keep every precious child in our community safe! Shout out and thank you to the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department, our friends at The American Legion, our friend Dr. Delman and most-importantly, the school district for partnering with us on our initiatives! If you suspect a Social Host Law infraction, you can anonymous text a tip to the Suffolk County Police Department by texting SCPS and the message to CRIMES (274637) or you may submit a tip at www.tipsubmit.com