_Recommendation #11_:
Help schools fight drugs by providing them with the expertise and
financial resources of community groups and agencies.
Law enforcement agencies and the courts can:
. Provide volunteers to speak in the schools about the legal
ramifications of drug use. Officers can encourage students to
cooperate with them to stop drug use.
. Meet with school officials to discuss drug use in the school,
share information on the drug problem outside of school, and
help school officials in their investigations.
Social service and health agencies can:
. Provide volunteers to speak in the school about the effects of
drugs.
. Meet with parents to discuss symptoms of drug use and to inform
them about counseling resources.
. Provide the schools with health professionals to evaluate
students who may be potential drug users.
. Provide referrals to local treatment programs for students who
are using drugs.
. Establish and conduct drug counseling and support groups for
students.
Businesses can:
. Speak in the schools about the effects of drug use on
employment.
. Provide incentives for students who participate in drug
prevention programs and lead drug-free lives.
. Help schools obtain curriculum materials for their drug
prevention program.
. Sponsor drug-free activities for young people.
Parent groups can:
. Mobilize others through informal discussions, door-to-door
canvassing, and school meetings to ensure that students get a
consistent no-drug message at home, at school, and in the
community.
. Contribute volunteers to chaperone student parties and other
activities.
Print and broadcast media can:
. Educate the community about the nature of the drug problem in
their schools.
. Publicize school efforts to combat the problem.
Operation SPECDA,
New York City
Operation SPECDA (School Program to Educate and Control Drug Abuse) is
a cooperative program of the New York City Board of Education and the
police department. It operates in 154 schools, serving students and
their parents from kindergarten through grade 12. SPECDA has two
aims: education and enforcement. Police help provide classes and
presentations on drug abuse in the schools. At the same time, they
concentrate enforcement efforts within a two-block radius of schools
to create a drug-free corridor for students.
The enforcement aspect has had some impressive victories. Police have
made 7,500 arrests to date, 66 percent in the vicinity of elementary
schools. In addition, they have seized narcotics valued at more than
$1 million, as well as $1 million in cash and 139 firearms.
SPECDA provides a simultaneous focus on education. Carefully selected
police officers team with drug abuse counselors to lead discussion
sessions throughout the fifth and sixth grades. The discussions
emphasize the building of good character and self-respect; the dangers
of drug use; civic responsibility and the consequences of actions; and
constructive alternatives to drug abuse.
Similar presentations are made in school assemblies for students from
kindergarten through grade 4 and in the junior and senior high
schools. An evening workshop for parents helps them reinforce the
SPECDA message.
An evaluation of participants in SPECDA demonstrates that a majority
of the students have become more aware of the dangers of drug use, and
show strong positive attitudes toward SPECDA police officers and drug
counselors. When interviewed, students have indicated a strengthened
resolve to resist drugs.