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SURVEY SAYS CAMERON STUDENTS' DRUG USE AT OR BELOW STATE AVERAGES

Drug and alcohol use by Cameron school students doesn't seem to be out of line with averages across the state, according to preliminary results from the Texas School Survey of drug and alcohol use.

"I feel very confident between this study and what we've been seeing with our random drug testing that we aren't a den for alcohol and drug abusers," Marcia DeAvilla, the CISD assistant superintendent told Cameron school trustees this week.

Since it began random drug testing of students involved in extracurricular activities this year, there have been no positive tests returned, school officials said.

DeAvilla said Cameron school officials previously received the Texas School Survey report on Cameron school students.

The statewide report was delivered Monday and DeAvilla, in her report to school trustees during a regular session on Monday, called Monday's report "very, very preliminary."

Conducted by Texas A&M University, the Texas School Survey on Drug and Alcohol Use, surveys students in the sixth through the 12th grade.  Sixth grade students are surveyed only on tobacco use.

"I will tell you that tobacco use for Cameron sixth graders is either right at or below the state average," DeAvilla said.  "What that says is that we're not using tobacco to the extent that they are in the state as an average."

"Given time to review these numbers, I can give you breakouts by sex, ethnicity, by grade level and type of drug or tobacco," DeAvilla said.  "Tonight, all I can tell you is that for the most part in tobacco, except for the 10th and 11th grades, we are higher than the state average."

"At grades 10 and 11 our students in Cameron are using tobacco products less that the state average," DeAvilla said.  "At other grade levels, we are higher, but a lot of it is just a percentage point or two.  DeAvilla said that in all grades ( 7-12 ) the CISD is only above the state average by 1.8 percent.

"That's possibly less than one student," she said.

"Statistics can be difficult and they can tell you different things just by the way you look at them," DeAvilla said.

"What this tells me in a quick look is that our students aren't going crazy with tobacco," DeAvilla added.

DeAvilla said alcohol use is the only area where the CISD shows any group of students significantly higher that state averages.

"That's ninth grade students," DeAvilla said.  "Before you go crazy and worry about that, I caution you that I don't know why, I don't know what group and I don't know what the patterns are based on a preliminary review of the numbers."

The report indicates that Cameron ninth graders are 11.4 percent higher than the state average.

"There could be a lot of reasons for that that do not cause alarm," DeAvilla said.  DeAvilla said that every other grade shown over the state average is only over three to five percent - meaning that a couple of students could sway the numbers one way or another.

In the area of inhalants, the report shows the CISD to be "well under" state averages with the exception of the 12th grade, which isn't a full percentage point over the state average.

The survey also asked about illicit drugs ranging from marijuana to heroin.

"The only grades where we are anywhere close to over the state average is in the seventh grade ( 1.7 percent over ) and the 8th grade ( 2.3 percent over ) and I don't know what that truly means," DeAvilla said.  "It could mean that they've tried something, but that they are not out there doing it all the time."

"My initial reaction to this report is that kids may be trying things, but not sticking with them and the reason I can say that is because our lowest scores on this survey are in the upper grades."