Adam Israel, Abby Callery, Co-Editors in Chief
Besides academics, school systems are responsible for the personal safety of their students. This includes taking an active role in curbing substance abuse. The Newtown Public School District has instituted multiple programs to prevent substance abuse beginning as early fifth grade. A recent increase in substance abuse among Newtown High School students has prompted teachers, administrators, parents, and even students to make changes to current practices and policies.
Substance abuse education programs start early in the students’ school careers. D.A.R.E was the initial program instituted at Reed Intermediate School to inform adolescents of the dangers inherent in substance abuse. In middle school, each year the health curriculum included a unit on alcohol and other substance abuse.
These programs provide formal educational opportunities, but awareness takes more than curricular-based options. Options exist outside school, yet besides parental guidance, few opportunities are available outside of the classroom.
“I think the school is doing as much as they can. The community can’t rely solely on the school, they need to help provide education too,” NHS school psychologist Tom Brant said. “It’s not something you resolve, you educate and the community needs to help in providing more education to the students and the parents.”
Currently, Newtown High School provides two quarters of health within the physical education curriculum to hopefully guide students and inform them of the consequences of such abuse.
Data provides valuable information on this issue. The Newtown Prevention Council conducts an anonymous survey every other year to gather information on the severity of the issue here at NHS. This provides data on the weight of the problem in current time.
“I learn most of what I know about teens and substance abuse from the reports that the school nurse comes to give us in the lecture hall about once a year,” NHS English teacher Michelle Toby said. “My belief is that we are below the national average with alcohol usage, but marijuana use is pretty steady or even above the average.”
To further educate the NHS faculty, The Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association, along with the Newtown Police Department and the Newtown Prevention council, held an informative presentation on drug abuse for teachers on January 8 at Newtown Middle School. This presentation is described by Blanchard as a, “presentation for teachers that will focus on the more familiar drugs of Ecstasy, Heroin and pharmaceutical drugs like OxyContin and Vicodin as well as some of the newer Designer Drugs. Teachers will be informed on how these drugs are taken, symptoms of their use, how to identify a variety of drugs and narcotics and how these drugs are being concealed.” This program provides teachers and staff with tools that may be helpful to spot signs of substance abuse.
The main worry is that the consequences of substance abuse will carry out even past high school. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, one in four college students say that their academic performance has declined due to drinking and partying.
Although alcohol was once the substance of choice, its decrease has been followed by an increased trend in the use of marijuana. From the survey, when 11th and 12th graders referred to friends using marijuana, there was a spike from about 20% to 35% between 2007 and 2009. This number has remained at roughly 30% from 2011-2013. In recent years, the want for marijuana has met, and will soon surpass, the use of alcohol amongst NHS students.
As an NHS teacher and mother of two children in the Newtown School District, Toby worries for the greater good of students. “I do feel concerned for kids and what might be going on outside of school. Sometimes I’ll worry about kids who aren’t doing well in school or who seem disconnected, and I wonder if there’s substance abuse going on at home,” Toby said.
Over the past decade, cigarette smoking among high school students has declined in Newtown. According to the 2013 Youth Survey Summary Report in Newtown, smoking among youth has remained below the national average. This is a step in the right direction for substance abuse in teens.
Marijuana has slowly been increasing in grades 11-12, nearing the national average and consistently increasing from 24% and 38%. Newtown Prevention Council Co-Chair, Judy Blanchard said that Marijuana was at one point decreasing but is now increasing. The concern is that since marijuana is becoming prevalent, then that will lead to a shift to hard drugs.
“We’ve seen an increase in substance abuse nationwide in the past year, but the one thing that’s different this year is that students are talking more openly about it,” Brant said.
Even though the usage of alcohol has decreased over the past two years, it still greatly impacts the students at NHS.
“I think kids abuse it when they don’t know their limits and then they do dangerous things. People are not being smart about it,” an anonymous NHS senior said.
“A recent couple of accidents involving substance abuse have affected the entire student body. Everyone was like ‘Wow I’m never going to drink and drive again,’ No one wants to be caught in the situation where they are injured due to a drunk driving accident,” one NHS senior said.
In 2013, 21.9% of students around the nation had ridden, in the past 30 days, in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol.
A survey recorded in the Youth Survey in 2013 reported that 35.7% of students drink because it is fun and 29.8% did so because they were stressed.
“A friend of mine just got into some trouble due to drinking. It’s scary and it’s a serious problem,” an NHS junior said.
Although there are many ways to approach handling the issue, there is not one solution that will benefit everyone.
“I think the school should increase education because punishments don’t always work for the kids. Punishment without education is a waste for the kids,” Brant said.
Like Brant, NHS Principal Dr. Lorrie Rodrigue cited the increased educational opportunities as an avenue to help curb this growing trend.
“I’m looking forward to a variety of venues that we could implement that would provide not only information but open dialogue. We’re looking for strategies to help support students. The freshman forum used to be based on under aged drinking but now it also includes substance. Later in April, we will have Chris Herren, a former Celtics player who spent part of his life battling his drug addiction,” Rodrigue said.
NHS students agreed with the impact of increased education. “If there was something like the freshman forum that was mandatory for all grades and was held during school, then that would help,” one NHS junior said.
With over 1,600 students to account for, finding a solution to the increase in substance abuse requires new ideas, new programs, and more awareness. Steps are being taken, but there is always room for more feedback from the student body, staff and parents. Regardless, one thing is true, all stakeholders share responsibility in this process.
Photo Credit; www.gograph.com