Pubdate: Fri, 08 Mar 2002 Source: Journal News, The (NY) Copyright: 2002 The Gannett Company, Inc. Contact: http://www.nyjournalnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1205 Author: Randi Weiner Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) ROCKLAND STUDENTS POLLED ON DRUG, ALCOHOL USE The third PRIDE survey of Rockland children's use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco now is under way, with results expected to be released in late April. As in 1996 and 1999, students in fifth, eighth and 10th grades are being asked anonymously for frank information about their habits and casual use of everything from wine coolers to Ecstasy, and whether they feel safe in school. "We do the survey so we can keep our finger on the pulse of how well our students are faring and also as a way of checking on our health education programs," said Bedelia Fries, assistant superintendent for North Rockland schools. "Each time that we see the results come back countywide, we have a series of meetings where we analyze the results and make adjustments if needed in how we offer our curriculum," she said. Seven of the county's eight public school districts participated in the first two Parents Resource Institute on Drug Education surveys. Nanuet schools, which does not participate in PRIDE, has its students complete a similar survey by the Rocky Mountain Behavioral Science Institute. This year, the American Drug and Alcohol Survey will be given March 19 to Nanuet students. Students at Clarkstown, North Rockland, Pearl River and South Orangetown schools have completed the 2002 PRIDE survey. Nyack students will complete the survey by the end of this week, and East Ramapo schools expect to give the survey to students next week. No date has been set for Ramapo Central students to take the survey. More than 6,000 Rockland students participate each time the survey is given. Nationally, 90,000 students took the PRIDE survey last year, 20,000 of them from New York. "The survey also allows us to identify new areas of concern," said Walter Schneider, dean of students at St. Thomas Aquinas College and the person who collates the results for the county. "We're very interested to see the Ecstasy numbers this year," he said, because Ecstasy use nationally was up. Although the final results won't be released publicly until April 24, educators whose schools have completed the survey are concerned about the number of students who say they do not feel safe in school, said Sal Chiariello, health coordinator for Clarkstown schools and one of the people who helps coordinate distribution of the survey. Because the number of children who reported they had been victims of bullies was high on the completed surveys -- specific data are unavailable - -- a special April 26 workshop has been set up for teachers, health coordinators and other school personnel. The workshop will begin with information from this year's PRIDE survey and then concentrate on bullying prevention. Past years' survey results have shown that alcohol use among Rockland teens was higher, and drug and cigarette use was less than the national average. Generally, the county's children feel safe, but as many as one of every three children have said they have been threatened by another student more than once. Information from the survey is used by districts to show whether health and prevention programs are effective and to create programs for known problems, educators said. "It tells us where the kids are drinking, and when and why and what; the same thing with other drugs," said Clarkstown's Chiariello. "And it tells us at what age level. I've been able to change my curriculum. I had very little tobacco (education) at fifth grade, but the survey showed that at that age, they begin to dabble so we changed the third- and fourth-grade curriculum," he said. He said the survey also spurred similar modifications for violence prevention, with a new program put into place across the grades to discourage bullying. North Rockland schools adjusted the middle and high school health curriculum after the results of the first survey were received, Fries said. The districts also have used the survey to apply for grants for prevention programs. Federal Drug-Free School District funds, for instance, require data on current substance use and how the program will affect student health. "Now, you now have hard evidence to say such-and-such percent of kids do this," Chiariello said. "We can now measure behavior and start measuring the effectiveness of health programs." Each district receives its own results, but the data are released to the public only on a countywide level to prevent finger-pointing, Chiariello said. Substance abuse and safety issues are countywide concerns, he said, because student friendships don't stop at school district boundaries. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex