_Recommendation #4_:
Determine the extent and character of drug use and establish a means
of monitoring that use regularly.
School personnel should be informed about the extent of drugs in their
school. School boards, superintendents, and local public officials
should support school administrators in their efforts to assess the
extent of the drug problem and to combat it.
In order to guide and evaluate effective drug prevention efforts,
schools need to:
. Conduct anonymous surveys of students and school personnel and
consult with local law enforcement officials to identify the
extent of the drug problem.
. Bring together school personnel to identify areas where drugs are
being used and sold.
. Meet with parents to help determine the nature and extent of drug
use.
. Maintain records on drug use and sale in the school over time, for
use in evaluating and improving prevention efforts. In addition
to self-reported drug use patterns, records may include
information on drug-related arrests and school discipline
problems.
. Inform the community, in nontechnical language, of the results of
the school's assessment of the drug problem.
Anne Arundel County School District,
Annapolis, Maryland
In response to evidence of a serious drug problem in 1979-80, the
school district of Anne Arundel County implemented a strict new policy
covering both elementary and secondary students. It features
notification of police, involvement of parents, and use of alternative
education programs for offenders. School officials take the following
steps when students are found using or possessing drugs:
. The school notifies the police, calls the parents, and suspends
students for 1 to 5 school days.
. The special assistant to the superintendent meets with the students
and parents. In order to return to school, students must state
where and how they obtained the drugs. The students must also
agree either to participate in the district's Alternative Drug
Program at night, while attending school during the day, or to
enroll in the district's Learning Center (grades 7-8) or evening
high school (grades 9-12). Students, accompanied by their
parents, must also take at least 5 hours of counseling. Parents
are also required to sign a Drug/Alcohol Reinstatement Form.
. If students fail to complete the Alternative Drug Program, they are
transferred to the Learning Center or to evening high school.
. Students are expelled if caught using or possessing drugs a second
time.
Distribution and sale of drugs are also grounds for expulsion, and a
student expelled for these offenses is ineligible to participate in the
Alternative Drug Program.
As a result of these steps, the number of drug offenses has declined by
58 percent, from 507 in 1979-80 to 211 in 1984-85.