Middle School Presentation to be broadcasted nationally

CHIPLEY — Washington County School Board members heard about a live broadcast event which is happening at 9 a.m. on Thursday Roulhac Middle School which will be seen not only locally, but nationally.

Sheriff Bobby Haddock brought the idea of bringing the Meagan Napier Foundation program to the school district, said Superintendent Sandra Cook said. The event will be held Thursday at the middle school and Chipley High School, then again on Friday at Vernon High School and Vernon Middle School.

Renee Napier, the mother of Meagan and founder of the foundation, will tell the story of how drunken driving affected her family and the other families involved.

Meagan and her friend Lisa Jo Dickson were killed by Eric Smallridge in 2002 in an automobile accident, according to a release from the foundation. Smallridge was driving under the influence, according to the release.

The presentation by Napier will include videos that feature Smallridge in prison sharing his story, and the car in which the girls died will also be a part of the presentation, Haddock said.

The first of the presentations will be broadcast on the Florida Educational Channel on www.fec.tv and school districts around the country will be tuning in to watch, the sheriff said.

“I think everyone will leave with a different level of appreciation for what this mom has done,” Haddock said. “I would encourage everyone who can to come and see this presentation, teachers, parents, everybody. If you don’t, you’re going to miss something good.”

Haddock added that the sheriff’s office has also produced copies of a DVD presentation by the Meagan Napier Foundation, which will be given to every middle school and high school student.

“We’re going to put this in everybody’s hands, and hopefully they will take the DVDs home and watch them with their parents and get some discussion going,” the sheriff said.

“We were able to do this using funds we’ve confiscated from our drug dealers,” Haddock said. “This is a way we can invest in our kids now, so we (as law enforcement) don’t have to invest in them in the future.”