SCHOOLS BATTLE DRUG USE

Budget Cuts Take Away Tools In War, However

This is the second part of a two-part series.

Drugs are most likely available in every school in the Hart district,
but programs are in place to try to keep campuses drug free.

"I think every school in California has an issue with kids using
drugs and alcohol, so schools are always looking for ways to keep
drugs and alcohol off of our campuses," said Richard Freifeld,
director of student services for the William S. Hart Union High
School District.

"We have a very strict policy for any kind of drugs or alcohol at
school, and the consequences are very severe, so I think that is a
big deterrent."

If a student is found in possession of drugs or alcohol, the students
is transferred to another school or program on the first offense, and
expelled from the district on the second offense. Students found
selling drugs on campus are expelled from the district on the first offense.

"Students don't want to be removed from the school they are attending
because they have adjusted to it and they have friends there," Freifeld said.

Cary Quashen, founding director of ACTION, a local nonprofit
organization that provides substance-abuse and crisis counseling
programs for parents and teens, thinks the Hart district is doing a
good job in its battle against student drug use.

"I think drug education should start at home, but I get parents who
come to our facility and they want to blame the schools," Quashen
said. "I think the schools are doing the best they can."

Dogs gone

Another drug deterrent used by the Hart district in the past were
drug dogs, which visited schools periodically, sniffing for banned substances.

But the drug dog program was one of the casualties of the recent
district budget cuts.

"That's a tragedy. I know that kids are afraid to take drugs to
school because of those dogs," Quashen said. "It didn't keep the kids
from using drugs, but at least it kept the schools a little safer."

Freifeld agrees that the drug dogs were a deterrent, but Hart
District Governing Board Member Steve Sturgeon said the dogs didn't
come often enough to be a real deterrent, and that students sent
warnings via text messages when the dogs arrived on campus, giving
one another a "heads up."

"The number of incidents that the drug dogs found were not
significant compared to what I believe is actually occurring on our
campuses," Sturgeon said. "If the dogs were there more regularly, and
if drug testing was a possibility, it might prevent more students
from doing (drugs)."

Kevin, 16, a Hart district student who is involved in the ACTION
support group and has been clean for more than nine months, said drug
dogs would have been a deterrent for him when he was using drugs - if
they had come more often.

"Schools could bring the dogs in more often," Kevin said. "That would
have stopped me from having drugs at school."

While the drug dog program has been cut for the moment due to budget
shortfalls, Sturgeon said it is near the top of the list of programs
the district hopes to reinstate if funds become available.

More tests at school

Students may feel they already take enough tests, but one drug use
deterrent that the Hart district is considering is mandatory drug
testing of students involved in extracurricular activities.

Sturgeon has been one of the school board's main proponents of drug testing.

"I have suggested that we do some kind of mandatory drug testing,
yes," Sturgeon said. "There's no reason why we shouldn't do that to
keep our kids safer and our kids out of trouble."

In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legality of drug testing
students in junior high and high school if they participate in
extracurricular activities.

Since then, about 16.5 percent of U.S. school districts have
implemented student drug testing programs.

But some critics of the measure say testing kids who are involved in
extracurricular activities would just discourage students from
participating in sports, music, and other activities deemed "extracurricular."

And since those activities often steer youngsters away from drugs,
the testing program would create a Catch-22.

Random testing of all students is prohibited by law.

Taylor, 15, a Hart district student who is involved in the ACTION
support group and has been clean for six months, said that while she
participates in extracurricular activities, a mandatory drug test
wouldn't have affected her drug use when she was heavily using.

"I was so wrapped up in my drugs that it wouldn't have mattered," Taylor said.

If parents are concerned that their child might be using drugs,
Frefeld said, they should test them at home. But he said the district
is also looking into the possibility of implementing the
extracurricular drug-testing program.

"Right now we're weighing the pros and cons of that," Freifeld said.
"I think it's another resource, another thing to look at, when
dealing with a drug and alcohol program."

Quashen is already drug testing students in the Hart district on an
as-needed basis, he said.

"If they think it's needed, they get the parent's permission and I go
in," Quashen said. "Different schools will call us and we will come
and test the students."

Instructing teachers

Kari Herwig, an ACTION counselor, said that teachers need to be
educated more about what signs to look for to detect drug abuse, and
they should make the consequences of being caught very clear. "When a
teacher catches a student in the classroom who is high, I think a lot
of teachers just don't know what to do next," Herwig said.

Hart district teachers are taught to look for obvious signs of drug
abuse, and they are also updated about drug issues periodically by
school administrators, Freifeld said.

"Administrators meet periodically with sheriff's deputies to go over
drug issues, and then the administrators share what they learn in
faculty meetings and so forth," Freifeld said.

Sturgeon said he feels the teachers are doing a good job detecting
potential drug users.

"When we get drug-related offenses brought to the board, it is
usually because a teacher, administrator or campus supervisor has
recognized that the student was engaged in drug activity and turned
them in," Sturgeon said.

Drug programs

Educational programs like Red Ribbon Week, Every 15 Minutes and the
Honor Grove at Central Park help prevent drug and alcohol use by
students, Quashen said.

"I think a lot of education is happening," Quashen said. "It takes
the whole package - that's what works - dogs, drug testing and education."

Freifeld credited resources in the Santa Clarita Valley community for
helping decrease student drug use.

"ACTION has volunteered hours and hours of resources and intervention
programs to the Hart district," Freifeld said. "We're very fortunate
to have people like Cary Quashen in our community."

The Child and Family Center has also been a valuable resource for the
district, he said.

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[Sidebar]

Signs & symptoms of drug use
* Unusual hostility, irritability, or secretiveness * Withdrawal
from the family * Different friends * Resistance to discipline * A
pattern of dishonesty, stealing and trouble with the police
* Possession of large amounts of cash * Drop in grades * Sudden
increase in absences and tardiness * Poor concentration and
short-term memory loss * Slurred speech * Loss of motivation and
interest in regular activities * Drug-related messages or symbols on
possessions * Lack of concern for appearance or hygiene
* Noticeable change in the teen's physical condition, such as:
bloodshot eyes, dilated or shrunken pupils, constant runny nose or
cough, major change in eating or sleeping habits, sudden weight loss,
lack of energy

SOURCE: ACTION Parent and Teen Support Program