Schools
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: