NEW DRUG POLICY KEEPS KIDS IN CLASS

Smoky Hill High School Principal Jeanie Brown knows that when she
sees a student's grades dropping, less class participation and
drastic changes in the mood of a once-happy and outgoing kid that
something is wrong.

And, in this day and age, that likely could be a problem with drugs
or alcohol she says.

"(Drugs and alcohol) are a growing issue in society," she said. "And
we are a reflection of our community, so what is going on out there
is going on in our schools. And when they come to school under the
influence it is the tip of the iceberg."

This problem is why Cherry Creek Schools District principals have
worked to develop a new program for students found using or under
the influence on school grounds.

Starting in March, students caught using or under the influence of
drugs or alcohol on campus or at school events will be offered more
than just a few days of suspension. They will be offered reduced
suspension for enrolling in drug and alcohol prevention courses.

"Students who use on campus during the school day, and or come to
school under the influence, demonstrate a very significant
involvement in drugs - it is not casual use," said Linda Fox,
executive director of high school education. "Essentially are
students who are under the influence not available to learn."

On the first offense, the new policy gives students and their
parents the choice of 10 days of suspension or three days and the
prevention classes.

On the second offense, a student is suspended for 10 days and
recommended for expulsion. That punishment can be reduced to five
days for participating in an evaluation and treatment.

Counseling services are contracted by the district through
Professional Counseling Services, and cost $90 for a six-week session.

Linda Kanan, intervention coordinator for the district, said the
change will be more effective than the current program that has been
in place for roughly 16 years because it gives students more
opportunity help and less time away from class.

"It is an expertise that we may not have been able to offer," she
said. "We felt like the problems with students have changed in the
past 16 years."

According to a 2005 Center for Disease Control study, roughly 75
percent of students had tried alcohol at least once, with 43 percent
of students surveyed saying they drink somewhat regularly.

Nearly 30 percent of students had used marijuana at least once in their life.

Last year roughly 300 students violated Cherry Creek's drug and
alcohol policy.

"We can't control what goes on the weekends," said Mary Jarvis,
principal at Cherokee Trail. "But we wanted our frontline approach
to be to get them help, not just to pitch them out."

The change came as a part of the Access Success program in Cherry
Creek, which is geared at improving student performance and
increasing the amount of students who go off to college after graduation.

District principals felt that they could do their best to help kids
to succeed in school and get them prepared for college, but if
students were coming to class under the influence then none of that mattered.

The plan was based on prevention programs in other metro area school
districts, Kanan said.

"We can put all these great transitions for college, but what about
those kids that still have drug and alcohol involvement," said
Jeannine Brown, principal at Smoky Hill High School. "We needed more
than just a slap on the hand."

Aurora Public Schools district-wide policy, which has not been
updated since 1990, does not have specific guidelines for student punishment.

Students caught using on school campus are dealt with on a
case-by-base basis, said Barbara Cooper, director of school services for APS.

She said suspensions and expulsions are decided at the school-level
by the principal or dean, and that they do take into account who the
student is, if they are in counseling and the level of the offense
when deciding on a punishment.

Cooper said the drug and alcohol policy is near the top of policies
the district will be reviewing in the next few months. But
regardless of the district, teachers say what goes on in schools is
usually a reflection of problems at home.

"It is a tough life for some of our kids and some of them in pain
chose to find bad ways to deal with that pain," Brown said.

"I don't think it is, I have been looking at it as it has increased so much.

"Life for families can be tough, whenever a family is going through
tough times, they reflect that."

Teachers are also trained to look for signs of drug and alcohol use
in their students. Brown said principals around Cherry Creek are
pleased with the plan because it gives more of an option in how to
help students.

Kanan said the district will have a better idea of how much the
program costs after they evaluate it at the end of the school year.

"We are able to offer treatment at a much lower cost than what they
would get in the community," she said. "We do not want kids to
remain out of school."