Pubdate: Thu, 10 May 2007
Source: Falls Church News-Press (VA)
Copyright: 2007 The Falls Church News-Press.
Contact:  http://www.fcnp.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2017
Author: Nicholas F. Benton

F.C. SCHOOL BOARD VOWS PRO-ACTIVE RESPONSE TO TROUBLING  DRUG
SURVEY

A third of George Mason High School students are  habitual marijuana
users, significantly higher than the  national average which is
one-in-four. This is  according to the results of the most recent
Pride  Survey. Following up on a resolution it passed  unanimously at
its April 24 meeting, the City of Falls  Church School Board issued a
public letter this week  declaring war on what it called "alarming"
and  "dismaying" trends in illicit drug, alcohol and tobacco  use
among the City's school-aged youth.

Citing results from the annual Pride Survey conducted  among 940
students in the Falls Church system in the  sixth through 12th grades,
the board threw its support  behind the substance abuse reduction
efforts of a  newly-formed SAFE/CADRE Task Force.

The task force, the School Board's letter said, "is  made up of
parents, educators, city leaders, health  experts and law enforcement
officials who are working  on ways to help children make good
decisions in social  situations."

The board's resolution also called on the Falls Church  City Council
to weigh in, and to back "active  enforcement of existing underage
drinking and substance  abuse laws." School Board chair Craig Cheney
is  expected to make a presentation on the subject to the  City
Council soon.

The Pride Survey results showed that while the  percentage of ninth
through 12th grade students at  George Mason High School is roughly
equal to the  national average in terms of alcohol and tobacco use,
it is markedly higher in the category of marijuana use.

Among the 549 students surveyed at the school in the  9-12 grade
range, the percentage of students who use  tobacco daily, weekly or
monthly is 39.6%, compared to  the national average of 37.3%.

In the case of alcohol, the percentage of users daily,  weekly or
monthly is 59.7%, almost equal to the  national average of 60.5%.

But in the case of marijuana, the percentage is  markedly higher than
the national average, 32.2%, or  almost a third of all GMHS students,
compared to the  national average in over 8,000 high schools tested of
  25.3%, or a fourth of all students.

It was noted that these numbers do not refer to  one-time or rare use,
but to those who use these  products at least once a month. "That
suggests students  involved in habitual use," the School Board
statement  said.

The Pride Survey showed that use of illicit drugs,  alcohol and
tobacco in the sixth through eighth grades  in Falls Church is
significantly below the national  average in all categories.

But that trend may change, at least for eighth graders,  as a result
of a recent structural change in the Falls  Church Schools that has
put eighth graders into the  high school.

Still, the survey showed that most of the use by  students "occurs not
on school grounds, but in the  community on weekends, followed by
weeknights and then  after school," according to the Falls Church
Schools'  Student Services Coordinator Judy Becker.

She was quoted in an earlier press statement that the  survey shows
"students are least likely to use  substances at school, where
zero-tolerance expectations  and consequences are made clear, and the
rules strictly  enforced. The places students are most likely to use
are at a friend's house, followed by 'other,' in a car  or at home."

"A phrase I am hearing more frequently from parents is  that their
students, 'work hard, party hard,' and as  long as grades are high and
there is no legal  involvement, their drinking is acceptable," she
said.

The School Board, in its letter this week, urged  parents to explore
resources on the Virginia Department  of Alcohol Beverage Control web
site, such as "The  Parental Guide to Hosting Teen Parties," at
www.abc.state.va.us/education/parents.html.

"Aside from the fact that it is unlawful for minors to  use tobacco,
alcohol and other drugs, statistics show  that drugs and alcohol are
leading causes of death and  injury in teenagers. Research also shows
that alcohol  and drug use change the way the brain functions, which
can adversely affect teen growth and development,  causing long-term
social and health problems,"  according to a School Board statement.
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