Ghost Out: LaFayette Middle Students Shown Dark Realities of Drug Abuse by Josh O’Bryant

Feb. 11, 2009 Walker County Emergency Services held a Ghost Out at LaFayette Middle School on Tuesday. Today, here at LaFayette Middle School, we conducted a Ghost Out to symbolize a drug overdose on twelve different students that took prescription drugs from their grandmothers medicine cabinet, or their mom and dads medicine cabinet, Emergency Services Lt. Julie Brown said. The 12 students wore ghost paint and depicted themselves as deceased from taking various prescription pills. LaFayette police officers helped out the mock drug scenario by tending to the students just as they would on a real death scene. Eighth-grader Austin Bledsoe portrayed a student who was caught at school with pills and was arrested by the Lookout Mountain Drug Task Force, which was on the scene as well to help give the Ghost Out a realistic feel. Bledsoe was returned to the school in handcuffs and a prisoners outfit. He gave a testimony in front of the student body on how he had ruined his life. Eighth-grader Madison Vest played herself in a scenario where she had died from an overdose of prescription pills. The 12 ghost students performed a mock funeral for Vest. Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson and LaFayette Public Safety Director Tommy Freeman spoke to the students on the dangers of drugs. Principal Mike Culberson gave an emotional and real-life account of the damage that abusing prescription drugs can do to ones life. I am hoping that with this program that we do here at LaFayette Middle …