Agoura's Community Forum on Student Deaths Prompts L.A. Times Column

In her Tuesday column, Los Angeles Times writer Sandy Banks talks about the shock and fear that Agoura parents expressed at the Nov. 9 on the

What resonated with Banks, according to her column, is that parents seem to be part of the problem, turning a blind eye to the current issues facing teens. She cited "parents with open wallets, closed eyes and unwitting ignorance."

Banks quotes family counselor and forum participant Alan Ludington, who said, "One in six teenagers will have a serious problem with drugs or alcohol before they leave high school." She states that "the most common sources in communities like theirs are homes with unlocked liquor cabinets and unused pills in the medicine chest."

Banks emphasizes that "when young people are taking risks and testing boundaries, tough love is just a start," and that "vigilance is powerful for the parents of teenagers."