Do Fayetteville County high schools have drug problems? (Atlanta: movies, live)

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

It's a high school. There are always "drug problems". There is no way to escape it.

This is basically it. Every school does. And in an affluent area there's always money for it. Weed and alcohol are always the likely suspects. I'd be really surprised if meth has made it there.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

This is basically it. Every school does. And in an affluent area there's always money for it. Weed and alcohol are always the likely suspects. I'd be really surprised if meth has made it there.

Meth is there, I feel sure of it. Meth seems to be everywhere these days. I don't have a problem with weed and alcohol in small doses, but anything harder gets serious really quickly.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

It's a high school. There are always "drug problems". There is no way to escape it.

I was raised in the area, they are all great schools. You can't do much better in the state of Georgia. Watch out for the Fayette County busy bodies. So many people around here just complain about everything because it isn't exactly how they remembered it 20 years ago. But in reality, it was just as bad or worse. It is pathetic.

I love Fayette County. But there is an inherent fear of black people in some of the citizens. Realize that many of the older folks that moved into the county moved here because they white flighted themselves out of Forrest Park, Morrow, College Park, etc.

These people skew negative and hold on to the ideas of white flight and really they are the cancer that screws things up. Fayette County has great bones; nice homes, big lots, very limited multi-family housing, and not many tract homes that inevitably plummet in value. You will hear from people all the time how terrible Fayetteville is getting but it is just fine, especially considering how close it is to a major metro. Fayette County will remain a great place to live.

These negative attitudes stem from racism and a rose colored memory of how things used to be. Realize that when you have these conversations with people. With that said, I love people here in Fayette County, despite these faults. They are generally very nice, just kinda stuck in old, outdated stereotypes.

^^^THIS! AND THIS >>> Six area high schools make the grade | TheCitizen.com

As I've stated on this site before, there are no bad schools in Fayette County ... here's a post I made on a similar thread 3 years ago that explains the differences between the 5 high school clusters:

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Let me just state for the record that there are NO bad schools in Fayette County. NONE! No Fayette school has failed AYP -- EVER! I'm not sure any other district in Georgia can claim that feat. All five Fayette high schools made Atlanta magazine's list of the "50 best high schools in Metro Atlanta" that came out in January of this year. Again, no other district comes close. And the beauty of it is, each of those schools is admittedly different -- with unique strengths and weaknesses. McIntosh High in PTC has VERY high academic performance but struggles in big-ticket athletics like football, basketball, etc. Sandy Creek High in Tryone, on the other hand, is a football powerhouse and has a huge JROTC program. Fayette County High has very strong heritage and sense of tradition, and the best fine arts program in the county -- and one of biggest and best marching bands in the entire state. Many families CHOOSE to live in the FCHS district so their children can be in the Marching Tiger Band. See my point?

Because you've already got an idea in your mind about what's good / not so good, on the decline / stable, I'll just explain it this way: Fayetteville proper is split into two high school feeder zones -- North of GA 54 (Fayette County Middle / High) and South of GA 54 (Whitewater Middle / High). BUY A HOUSE SOUTH OF HWY 54! Done! The commute from there to your job in Morrow (or wherever) is nothing.

Whitewater High is far and away the best school cluster you could be in because it's the newest, and even though it hasnt really made a name for itself or carved out a unique niche yet, it's the "IN" high school in Fayette County at the moment. My sister's kids go there; many of my friends' kids go there. I have friends who teach there. It is an EXCELLENT school -- top tier in Georgia -- and will continue to be for years to come.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by scgvcd

Hi,

First, I know I posted Fayetteville county instead of Fayette County. I'm trying to fix that!

I know that may sound like a very open ended question, but I actually am looking for some very specific information. I know most American high schools have some issue with drugs and alcohol.

I'm moving there this summer, and I have a friend in the area (just moved there) who's been asking around for me. My children are in elementary school, but I'm looking ahead. I've gotten a good feel for how the schools compare academically. But what I hear from my friend is that McIntosh and Starrs Mill have serious problems with illegal drugs. So much so that they are discouraging people moving to the area from attending those schools.

If anyone has an opinion on this, I'd really appreciate hearing from you. Is Whitewater the better alternative? And why does no one seem to have an opinion on Fayetteville? Are McIntosh and Starrs Mill really becoming that dangerous?

Thanks in advance.

There are drug problems everywhere and there is no way to get away from it.

The best thing to do is teach your children to say no if asked to participate in drugs and hope that they choose to say no and continue to choose to say no.

There is no magical school or city that has zero drug problems, some are just more covert than others.

As far as danger goes, you can live in a gated community that you never have to leave for work, school, groceries or anything else and you would still have danger.

In regards to academics and your children you may have a good "feel" for one school over another but that is no guarantee your child is going to do well in that school.
Dynamics are different everywhere and there is no way to tell how a child will do academically until they actually get to the school and have been there a while.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

It's a high school. There are always "drug problems". There is no way to escape it.

I was raised in the area, they are all great schools. You can't do much better in the state of Georgia. Watch out for the Fayette County busy bodies. So many people around here just complain about everything because it isn't exactly how they remembered it 20 years ago. But in reality, it was just as bad or worse. It is pathetic.

I love Fayette County. But there is an inherent fear of black people in some of the citizens. Realize that many of the older folks that moved into the county moved here because they white flighted themselves out of Forrest Park, Morrow, College Park, etc.

These people skew negative and hold on to the ideas of white flight and really they are the cancer that screws things up. Fayette County has great bones; nice homes, big lots, very limited multi-family housing, and not many tract homes that inevitably plummet in value. You will hear from people all the time how terrible Fayetteville is getting but it is just fine, especially considering how close it is to a major metro. Fayette County will remain a great place to live.

These negative attitudes stem from racism and a rose colored memory of how things used to be. Realize that when you have these conversations with people. With that said, I love people here in Fayette County, despite these faults. They are generally very nice, just kinda stuck in old, outdated stereotypes.

^^^THIS! AND THIS >>> Six area high schools make the grade | TheCitizen.com

As I've stated on this site before, there are no bad schools in Fayette County ...

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Let me just state for the record that there are NO bad schools in Fayette County. NONE! No Fayette school has failed AYP -- EVER! I'm not sure any other district in Georgia can claim that feat. All five Fayette high schools made Atlanta magazine's list of the "50 best high schools in Metro Atlanta" that came out in January of this year. Again, no other district comes close. And the beauty of it is, each of those schools is admittedly different -- with unique strengths and weaknesses. McIntosh High in PTC has VERY high academic performance but struggles in big-ticket athletics like football, basketball, etc. Sandy Creek High in Tryone, on the other hand, is a football powerhouse and has a huge JROTC program. Fayette County High has very strong heritage and sense of tradition, and the best fine arts program in the county -- and one of biggest and best marching bands in the entire state. Many families CHOOSE to live in the FCHS district so their children can be in the Marching Tiger Band. See my point?

Because you've already got an idea in your mind about what's good / not so good, on the decline / stable, I'll just explain it this way: Fayetteville proper is split into two high school feeder zones -- North of GA 54 (Fayette County Middle / High) and South of GA 54 (Whitewater Middle / High). BUY A HOUSE SOUTH OF HWY 54! Done! The commute from there to your job in Morrow (or wherever) is nothing.

Whitewater High is far and away the best school cluster you could be in because it's the newest, and even though it hasnt really made a name for itself or carved out a unique niche yet, it's the "IN" high school in Fayette County at the moment. My sister's kids go there; many of my friends' kids go there. I have friends who teach there. It is an EXCELLENT school -- top tier in Georgia -- and will continue to be for years to come.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

Meth is there, I feel sure of it. Meth seems to be everywhere these days. I don't have a problem with weed and alcohol in small doses, but anything harder gets serious really quickly.

I wouldn't see McIntosh or PTC as a big meth school. Pills, designer drugs, cocaine... you know, the classy drugs. Weed doesn't even count.

[Clayton white guy]

How much is considered a "drug problem"? When it disrupts the daily running of the school. When you hear "Gangster's Paradise" playing in the halls? What I am getting at is, although I have been out of high school a couple of decades, and I do remember the "pushers and users" when I was in school, drugs were not a part of the main stream culture of my high school. Everyone knew who the "druggies" were and they were not generally well received or looked up to. More like Pariahs really. So, again, what constitutes a "drug problem"?

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

I wouldn't see McIntosh or PTC as a big meth school. Pills, designer drugs, cocaine... you know, the classy drugs. Weed doesn't even count.

It may not be a "big" meth problem there, but I would be willing to bet that meth is there. It seems to be everywhere these days.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

It may not be a "big" meth problem there, but I would be willing to bet that meth is there. It seems to be everywhere these days.

Maybe I'm just getting older, but it seems less and less popular. It was that way 8 years or so.

Meth is embarrassing for most people. It's pretty well associated with white trash/trailer parks, losers, etc.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Maybe I'm just getting older, but it seems less and less popular. It was that way 8 years or so.

Meth is embarrassing for most people. It's pretty well associated with white trash/trailer parks, losers, etc.

That's what I associate with Meth. Rural areas which are typically the hardest hit areas. There might be a few people on meth at a high school but I feel like it'd be pretty obvious. But hey, could be wrong.