A common-looking computer mouse that is designed to hide a drug-weighing scale is seen during a drug prevention outreach program with parents on Thursday at Harrold Middle School in Hempfield.
That's what Laurie Moorhead tells the families she meets while giving drug prevention presentations in schools across Westmoreland County.
Moorhead has spent a decade working for Saint Vincent Prevention Projects. Since 1978, the organization -- affiliated with Saint Vincent College in Unity -- has informed students about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drug use and taught parents how to protect their children from harmful substances.
Saint Vincent Prevention Projects has worked with nearly every school in Westmoreland County, Moorhead said, raising awareness through demonstrations like "Hidden in Plain Sight," a mobile mock-up of a teenager's bedroom. Parents walk through to learn about ways their children may be hiding drugs or alcohol.
With drug use and overdose rates among young people on the rise, experts like Moorhead say prevention education is paramount.
More than 4,700 people ages 15 to 24 died from a
drug overdose across the country in 2019, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse. This is a 500% increase from two decades prior.
More than 96,000 people nationwide die from an overdose each year, according to the center. Opioids play a factor in 7 out of 10 of the overdoses.
About 11% of overdoses happen to people ages 15 to 24, but a spike in drug use has been noted among 8th grade students in recent years. Between 2016 and 2020, there was a 61% increase in 8th graders using drugs, according to the center.
'A student health and safety issue'
Moorhead brought Hidden in Plain Sight to the county eight years ago, inspired by similar versions of the demonstration she had seen used in European schools.
The demonstration is meant to start a conversation about ways children are hiding and using drugs that parents may not be aware of, she said.
"I say it over and over and over again -- good kids make stupid choices," she said. "That's my thing. I say it to our kids when we're in a classroom, and I say it to parents. They make stupid choices, and you don't want a stupid choice to change the course of your life or kill you."
Vaping devices are particularly common among today's students, Moorhead said.
That's why administrators from Hempfield Area's Harrold School contacted Saint Vincent Prevention Projects to host Hidden in Plain Sight, said school counselor Tammi Marshall.
"(There were) lots of students vaping," she said. "I mean, a lot of them. And sadly, we had many that tested positive for THC."
Aside from the fact vaping is illegal for people under 21, Harrold School Principal Jason Lochner wants to protect the health of his students.
"First and foremost, I think it's a student health and safety issue," he said. "We want kids to lead a healthy lifestyle, and there's tons of evidence that vaping is not good for you."
Students were caught hiding vaping devices in the menstrual product trash cans in the women's bathroom stalls, she said. Boys hid them in the vents of the men's restrooms.
"That was my job," Marshall said. "I had to do all of the female bathrooms, and it was disgusting touching (the trash cans)."
'I'll invade their privacy to keep them alive'
For parents Kevin and Lauren Long, walking through Hidden in Plain Sight during the 9th grade orientation at Harrold School on Thursday was an eye-opener.
"It's just amazing the kinds of things that could be hidden anywhere," said Kevin Long, of Hempfield.
The Longs have three children in the Hempfield Area School District -- ages 16, 14 and 11. They were among a dozen parents who walked through the mock-up bedroom on the auditorium stage, picking through what appeared to be a typical teenager's belongings.
Objects that appeared to be a water bottle, surge protector and can of Pringles chips actually featured secret compartments where children have hidden drugs.
Lauren Long has never suspected drug or alcohol use among her children. She attended the demonstration Thursday to stay up to date on the warning signs and methods of drug use.
"We also don't want to get to a point where we're really naive about it," she said. "(We're) constantly asking them questions, like 'Hey, have you heard about this?'... They're pretty open with us. I feel like keeping that open means of communication is huge with your kids."
The Longs have a system in place with their children: If they find themselves in a dangerous situation, they can call their parents and use a safe word.
"That was a way that they could say, 'I need to leave. This is happening at home. My parents are coming to get me,' and it was a way they'd be able to get out of the situation they were in and not look foolish in front of their friends," he said.
But at the end of the day, parents can only do so much to protect their children, Lauren Long said.
"You have to trust them," she said. "I have to trust in God."
Moorhead encouraged parents not to feel uncomfortable searching their children's rooms or engaging in tough conversations about drugs and alcohol.
"I am a mom, and I have three children. And I will invade their privacy every day of the week to keep them alive," she said. "That's our job as a parent -- to never have to feel the pain of losing a child because of a stupid choice, because of us being afraid to invade privacy."