August 2023:
The MLO Minute: “The Scourge of Drugs and a Major Documentary” —
By Dennis McAndrews, Esq., Founder and Managing Partner Emeritus —
Every day we work closely with families to address a wide variety of significant challenges – educational, emotional, relational, aging, financial. But for too many families, the abuse of drugs — whether by unwarranted prescriptions or illegal street substances (or both) — has a terrible impact upon these families and the effects inevitably overlap — and exacerbate — the other challenges they face.
In our special education work, we recognize that school districts and public charter schools are not drug treatment programs. But where a student’s special education needs coexist with addiction, or the current use of addictive substances (either legal or illegal), or ongoing recovery, we properly advocate for programs and services which address the global needs of the child. In particular, where the child’s educational and substance issues intersect and significantly affect the educational needs of the child — be they academic, social, emotional, physical, or behavioral (all of which are encompassed in the term “education” under federal law) — the complete needs of the child in the school environment must be coordinated and properly addressed.
An important documentary on the issue of drug abuse and drug use in the Philadelphia area will be previewed for the public on September 17th at 2:00 PM at the Radnor Memorial Library. The one-hour documentary is entitled “Kensington in Crisis” and is the product of an award-winning team of local filmmakers, John Ricciutti and Jill Frechie of Main Line Television. This twice Emmy nominated documentary addresses the fact the U.S. is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. Once upon a time, the nation’s homeless and drug users were connected to poverty or “poor character”. Today, all of society shares in its deadly path. Kensington, a Philadelphia neighborhood, lingers in its wake.
This documentary explores the real-life circumstances of illegal drug use in Kensington and the broad effects and implications of that illicit use not only on the users, but on families and the community at large.
Three members of our firm will participate in a panel discussion immediately following the documentary. Kim Caputo, Esq., served for many years in the Office of General Counsel of the Philadelphia School District and witnessed the effects of drug abuse in Kensington and other communities. Dan Woody, Esq., served for many years in the Philadelphia area as a prosecutor and a defense attorney and also witnessed the profound impact of drug use within the criminal justice system. Allyson McAndrews Washo, M.Ed., the Director of Marketing for our firm, is a member of the Board of Daemion Counseling Center. A link to further information about this important program can be found by CLICKING HERE, and the public is cordially invited to attend.
