Reach out to the community for support and assistance in making the school's antidrug policy and program work. Develop collaborative arrangements in which school personnel, parents, school boards, law enforcement officers, treatment organizations, and private groups can work together to provide necessary resources.
School officials should recognize that they cannot solve the drug problem alone. They need to get the community behind their efforts by taking action to:
- Increase community understanding of the problem through meetings, media coverage, and education programs.
- Build public support for the policy; develop agreement on the goals of a school drug policy, including prevention and enforcement goals.
- Educate the community about the effects and extent of the drug problem.
- Strengthen contacts with law enforcement agencies through discussions about the school's specific drug problems and ways they can assist in drug education and enforcement.
- Call on local professionals, such as physicians and pharmacists, to share their expertise on drug abuse as class lecturers.
- Mobilize the resources of community groups and local businesses to support the program.
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Students
Recommendation #9.
Learn about the effects of drug use, the reasons why drugs are harmful, and ways to resist pressures to try drugs. Students can arm themselves with the knowledge to resist drug use by:
- Learning about the effects and risks of drugs.
- Learning the symptoms of drug use and the names of organizations and individuals who are available to help when friends or family members are in trouble.
- Understanding the pressures to use drugs and ways to counteract them.
- Knowing the school rules on drugs and ways to help make the school policy work.
- Knowing the school procedures for reporting drug offenses.
- Knowing the laws on drug use and the penalties, for example, for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Understanding how the laws protect individuals and society.
- Developing skill in communicating their opposition to drugs and their resolve to say no.