C.J. Koski has seen a lot of crazy things in his 22 years as a police officer.

“Things that I would have never even believed if I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes,” he told a classroom of students at Lone Star High School.

He knows firsthand the impact of drugs and alcohol.

“I have dealt with people who have lost their job, lost their house, lost their family, everything,” he said. “They have dropped everything for it.”

Red Ribbon Week is an annual opportunity for Frisco ISD teachers, counselors and staff to talk to students about the dangers of substance abuse. Across the District, students participate in dress-up days, sign pledges to be drug free and learn facts about alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and more. School resource officers like Koski play a big role in educating students about ways to say “no” – not just during Red Ribbon Week, but all year long.  

“It’s all about choices,” he told the Lone Star students. “If you make good choices, you have good consequences. If you make bad choices, you have bad consequences. It’s going to bite you eventually, I promise you, it is just a matter of time.”

Koski visited with several classes of health students as part of his outreach for Red Ribbon Week. At lunch, he encouraged students to try on special goggles that simulate what it’s like to have a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit for adult drivers.

“I couldn’t keep my balance at all,” said Lone Star senior Josiah Garza after he tried walking a straight line across the lunch room floor.

When it was her turn, sophomore Zoe Griffith tipped to one side and toppled onto the floor.

“I felt like I couldn’t use my legs anymore,” she said. “It’s like they wouldn’t cooperate with me.”

At schools across FISD, school resource officers were busy informing students about the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol, as well as the risks associated with impaired driving. They work alongside school staff throughout the year to build relationships with students and reinforce prevention messages.

Koski doesn’t mince words when talking to students.

“Use your brain,” he told them. “Life is difficult enough without being a user.”