European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes monday August 25.1566 Blessing the grapes appt Kud the ret. Charles h. Ftp Fri of Spokane wash., wires burning incense Over grapes As part of the Blessing of the Harvest at the Mondavi winery in Oakvale Calif. Poll shows drugs considered biggest problem in . Schools Washington a for the first Lime in the 18-year history of the annual Gallup poll on education the Public has identified drugs As the biggest problem confronting the schools. By wide margins adults said they favor expulsion of students caught using drugs and allowing teachers to search lockers for drugs and by a narrow 49-44 margin they even approved testing students for drug use by urinalysis. The Public has singled out Lack of discipline As the schools major problem in 16 of he 17 previous Gallup surveys. But in the latest poll released saturday by Phi delt Kappan Magazine 28 percent of those interviewed cited drugs As their of concern. Twenty four percent mentioned Lack of discipline while Lack of financial support for the schools ranked third with 11 percent the new poll also found that 41 percent of Hose surveyed Felt their local Public schools merited a Grade of a or a Down slightly from the past to years. But the num Ber of a grades 11 percent was the highest since 1977. By a 67-24 margin people said they would allow their child to attend classes with a child who was suf Fering from acquired immune deficiency  have boycotted schools in , ind., Queens , and elsewhere in disputes Over aids despite doctors avowal that the deadly disease cannot be transmitted through casual Contact. The Survey said Only "6 percent of the Public mis lakely believe thai a person can contract aids merely by being in a Public place with someone who has  president Reagan has declared War on what he has called an epidemic of drug abuse in the United states from the schools to the Home to the work place. Responding 10 he Survey results Secretary of Edu cation William a Bennett said in a statement this confirms that the parents of America want to get drugs out of our schools i have no higher priority than help ing make american schools  Public concern about the drug Issue has been heightened by the spread of new cheaper forms of cocaine and the recent drug related deaths of basketball Star Len Bias and football player Don Rogers. George Gallup jr., co chairman of the Gallup organization in Princeton nj., said the Public s worry is Well founded. A separate youth Survey shows that teen agers themselves rank alcohol and drug abuse As major prob lems he said. Parents were somewhat less alarmed about drugs in schools attended by their own children. Only 16 percent listed drugs As the biggest problem facing the school their Oldestchild attends is percent cited discipline. Familiarity with a school generally elicited a higher rating. Parents Grade the Public schools in their own Community substantially higher than the Public schools nationally and they rate the Public schools their own children attend even higher said the Survey based on interviews of 1,552 adults at Home last april 11-20. For instance White 41 percent gave heir local schools an a or b Grade Only 28 percent said Public schools nationally rated that High that was the highest National rating since Gallup asked for National grades in i �81 Only 20 percent handed out an a or b then. By a 2-1 margin people said they would like to see the Federal government have less influence on local Public schools. There was also Strong sentiment against raising taxes for local schools. Fifty two percent said they would vote against school lax hikes 37 percent were in favor. The Survey found overwhelming support for tougher standards for Grade promotion and graduation. Sixty eight percent favored tougher High school graduation requirements even if that meant More dropouts 23 percent said no. The Public opposes by More than 2-1 64 percent to 29 percent having children Start school at age 4," in said. Education leaders in new York and some other places have proposed starting school that Early. Two out of three parents j8 percent said they wanted the right to choose the local schools their Chil Dren attend the Survey said. Bui it added that relatively few one in four would take advantage of this right if in were available Only 27 percent Felt the government should provide id to private schools. But. Asked if hey would Send their children o private or parochial schools if the had the Means 49 percent said yes and 46 percent no. Gallup said the Standard margin of error on the poll questions was 1 Points in either direction except on the aids question posed separately 10 1,004 adults by phone. The margin of error there was 4 Points. The Survey will appear in the september Issue of Phi Delta tappon an education journal published in Bloo Mington ind stateside 4 injured when train derails in California Palm Springs. Calif Dpi thirty six cars Ofa Southern Pacific freight Irain loaded with new cars and toys derailed Early saturday slightly injuring fou people. Four transients Riding in boxcars were treated for minor injuries at desert Hospital but none of the Crew on the eastbound train was injured Adkins said. The derailment occurred just after Midnight on tracks that parallel interstate 10 about live Miles North of Palm Springs said capt. Terry Adkins of t � Cali fornia department of forestry the track was blocked until midday. The wreck destroyed most of the 36 derailed can carrying new automobiles television sets Teddy bears and other toys Adkins said. Another 21 can remained upright. Weekend powwow held in Connecticut Haddam Conn. Dpi drams echoed along the River saturday is members of 30 or More Indian tribes from he United slates and Canada met for the second Connecticut River powwow and rendezvous. Indians from As far away As California and Canada attended the weekend event at had Dom Meadow state Park. The weekend featured displays of Indian Cnair to customs As Well As a visit by 750 costumed men who re created a colonial Encampment. About 30,000 spectators were expected for the Celebration Frontier airlines closed after running out of funds Newark. . A Frontier airline shut Down on sunday because it ran out of Money putting 4,700 workers out of a Job. The company owner peo ple express inc., announced. United airlines had agreed to buy Frontier from people express for is 46 million if an agreement could be reached with he air line pilots association. We deeply regret that this step had to be taken but we were left with no Choice,1 people exp Rem Laid in a statement. Frontier is out of funds and in lie absence of Assurance thai the Sale to United Mil take place people express is unwilling to commit any More of its funds of Frontier hands across America raises Only $ 16 million los Angeles a three months after hand across America formed a broken line of people across the nation Only is 6 million has been gathered for the hungry and homeless and nothing has been distributed organizers say. The project once aimed at rating $50 million to $ 100 million. The $16 million set aside for the poor is not even equal to he amount he group has budgeted for expenses when corporate contributions for expenses Are added in. The income should have been much higher Marty Rogol the executive director for Usa for Afri Ca which sponsored the event said last week. A lot or people did t fulfil their pledges and a lot of people who joined the line the Day of the event did t contrib Ute  about $7 million in unfulfilled pledges remain out standing said hands across America spokesman David Fulton 200 gather outside . To protest soviet Union new York a More than 200 protester gathered saturday outside the United nations to pro test alleged human rights violations by the soviet Union in Eastern Europe. Or. Gorbachev your commitments to Tat bans and a nuclear free Era Are in question a Beni you continue to violate he rights not Only of your citizen but of thousands of others said sen. Ali base d Amato r . The crowd including Many immigrants from East Ern Europe who waved the flags of their Homeland gathered on he anniversary of the 1939 nazi soviet non As ression pact to protest the soviet Union t Rule in the Region