What Works: Schools Without Drugs Part 8

Developing skill in communicating their opposition to drugs and their resolve to say no.

_R. H. Watkins High School of Jones County, Mississippi, has developed a pledge, excerpted below, which sets forth the duties and responsibilities of student counselors in its peer counseling program_.

Responsibility Pledge for a Peer Counselor, R. H. Watkins High School

As a drug education peer counselor you have the opportunity to help the youth of our community develop to their full potential without the interference of illegal drug use. It is a responsibility you must not take lightly. Therefore, please read the following responsibilities you will be expected to fulfill next school year and discuss them with your parents or guardians.

Responsibilities of a Peer Counselor

Understand and be able to clearly state your beliefs and att.i.tudes about drug use among teens and adults.

Remain drug free.

Maintain an average of C or better in all cla.s.ses.

Maintain a citizens.h.i.+p average of B or better.

Partic.i.p.ate in some club or extracurricular activity that emphasizes the positive side of school life.

Successfully complete training for the program, including, for example, units on the identification and symptoms of drug abuse, history and reasons for drug abuse, and the legal/economic aspects of drug abuse.

Successfully present monthly programs on drug abuse in each of the elementary and junior high schools of the Laurel City school system, and to community groups, churches, and statewide groups as needed.

Partic.i.p.ate in rap sessions or individual counseling sessions with Laurel City school students.

Attend at least one Jones County Drug Council meeting per year, attend the annual Drug Council Awards Banquet, work in the Drug Council Fair exhibit and in any Drug Council workshops, if needed.

Grades and credit for Drug Education will be awarded on successful completion of and partic.i.p.ation in all the above-stated activities.

_____________________________ __________________________________ Student's Signature Parent's or Guardian's Signature

Students

Helping Fight Drug Use

_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 princ.i.p.al.

Although students are the primary victims of drug use in the schools, drug use cannot be stopped or prevented unless students actively partic.i.p.ate in this effort.

Students can help fight drug use by:

Partic.i.p.ating 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 sponsors.h.i.+p 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 princ.i.p.al.

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 cla.s.ses; 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, princ.i.p.als, and parents to discuss the curriculum.

Research has shown that DARE has improved students' att.i.tudes 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 att.i.tude.

DARE has also changed parent att.i.tudes 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 princ.i.p.als, 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.

Communities

Providing Support