_Recommendation #10_:
Use an understanding of the danger posed by drugs to help other
students avoid them. Encourage other students to resist drugs,
persuade those using drugs to seek help, and report those selling
drugs to parents and the school principal.
Although students are the primary victims of drug use in the schools,
drug use cannot be stopped or prevented unless students actively
participate in this effort.
Students can help fight drug use by:
. Participating in open discussions about the extent of the problem
at their own school.
. Supporting a strong school antidrug policy and firm, consistent
enforcement of rules.
. Setting a positive example for fellow students and speaking
forcefully against drug use.
. Teaching other students, particularly younger ones, about the
harmful effects of drugs.
. Encouraging their parents to join with other parents to promote a
drug-free environment outside of school. Some successful parent
groups have been started by the pressure of a son or daughter who
was concerned about drugs.
. Becoming actively involved in efforts to inform the community about
the drug problem.
. Starting a drug-resistance club or other activity to create
positive, challenging ways for young people to have fun without
drugs. Obtaining adult sponsorship for the group and publicizing
its activities.
. Encouraging friends who have a drug problem to seek help and
reporting persons selling drugs to parents and the principal.
Greenway Middle School,
Phoenix, Arizona
Greenway Middle School is in a rapidly growing area of Phoenix. The
student population of 950 is highly transient.
Greenway developed a comprehensive drug prevention program in the
1979-80 school year. The program provides strict sanctions for students
caught with drugs, but its main emphasis is on prevention. Features
include:
. Teaching students about drugs in science classes; mini-units on
why people use drugs and what treatment resources are available
to drug users; distributing and discussing current literature on
drugs; sponsoring a 1-day Prevention Fair in which community
experts talk to students about drug prevention.
. Enrolling students and staff in the "All Star" training program
where they learn how to resist peer pressure, make decisions for
themselves, and develop plans for personal and school
improvement.
. Providing counselor training for specially selected students; drug
counseling for students who are using drugs.
Under Greenway's drug policy, first-time offenders who are caught using
or possessing drugs are suspended for 6 to 10 days. First-time
offenders who are caught selling drugs are subject to expulsion. The
policy is enforced in close cooperation with the local police
department.
As a result of the Greenway program, drug use and disciplinary
referrals declined dramatically between 1979-80 and 1984-85. The number
of drug-related referrals to the school's main office decreased by 78
percent; overall, discipline-related referrals decreased by 62 percent.
_WHAT COMMUNITIES CAN DO_
Project DARE,
Los Angeles, California
The police department and school district have teamed up to create DARE
(Drug Abuse Resistance Education), now operating in 405 schools from
kindergarten through grade 8 in Los Angeles. Fifty-two carefully
selected and trained frontline officers are teaching students to say no
to drugs, build their self-esteem, manage stress, resist prodrug media
messages, and develop other skills to keep them drug free. In addition,
officers spend time on the playground at recess so that students can
get to know them. Meetings are held with teachers, principals, and
parents to discuss the curriculum.
Research has shown that DARE has improved students' attitudes about
themselves, increased their sense of responsibility for themselves and
to police, and strengthened resistance to drugs. For example, before
the DARE program began, 51 percent of fifth-grade students equated drug
use with having more friends. After training, only 8 percent reported
this attitude.
DARE has also changed parent attitudes through an evening program to
teach parents about drugs, the symptoms of drug use, and ways to
increase family communication. Before DARE, 32 percent of parents
thought that it was all right for children to drink alcohol at a party
as long as adults were present. After DARE, no parents reported such a
view. Before DARE, 61 percent thought that there was nothing parents
could do about their children's use of drugs; only 5 percent said so
after the program.
As a result of the high level of acceptance by principals, teachers,
the community, and students, DARE has spread from 50 elementary schools
in 1983 to all 347 elementary and 58 junior high schools in Los
Angeles. DARE will soon be fully implemented in Virginia.