Drugs erode the self-discipline and motivation necessary for learning.
Pervasive drug use among students creates a climate in the schools
that is destructive to learning. Research shows that drug use can
cause a decline in academic performance. This has been found to be
true for students who excelled in school prior to drug use as well as
for those with academic or behavioral problems prior to use. According
to one study, students using marijuana were twice as likely to average
D's and F's as other students. The decline in grades often reverses
when drug use is stopped.
Drug use is closely tied to truancy and dropping out of school. High
school seniors who are heavy drug users are more than three times as
likely to skip school as nonusers. About one-fifth of heavy users
skipped 3 or more schooldays a month, more than six times the truancy
rate of nonusers. In a Philadelphia study, dropouts were almost twice
as likely to be frequent drug users as were high school graduates;
four in five dropouts used drugs regularly.
Drug use is associated with crime and misconduct that disrupt the
maintenance of an orderly and safe school conducive to learning. Drugs
not only transform schools into marketplaces for dope deals, they also
lead to the destruction of property and to classroom disorder. Among
high school seniors, heavy drug users were two-and-one-half times as
likely to vandalize school property and almost three times as likely
to have been involved in a fight at school as nonusers. Students on
drugs create a climate of apathy, disruption, and disrespect for
others. For example, among teenage callers to a national cocaine
hotline, 44 percent reported that they sold drugs and 31 percent said
that they stole from family, friends, or employers to buy drugs. A
drug-ridden environment is a strong deterrent to learning not only for
drug users, but for other students as well.
_A PLAN FOR ACTION_
In order to combat student drug use most effectively, the entire
community must be involved: parents, schools, students, law enforcement
authorities, religious groups, social service agencies, and the media.
They all must transmit a single consistent message that drug use is
wrong, dangerous, and will not be tolerated. This message must be
reinforced through strong, consistent law enforcement and disciplinary
measures.
The following recommendations and examples describe actions that can be
taken by parents, schools, students, and communities to stop drug use.
These recommendations are derived from research and from the
experiences of schools throughout the country. They show that the drug
problem can be overcome.
_WHAT PARENTS CAN DO_