SCHOOL BATTLES DRUGS, ALCOHOL

A survey of Kerrville Independent School District students indicated
that about half had used alcohol, with 12 years old being the average
age of first use.

That same survey of 923 students taken during the 2005 school year
found the average age for first time use of inhalants such as glue or
paint was 11 years old, and the average age for first-time use of
marijuana was 13 years old. School officials say it's a communitywide
issue that will require community involvement to solve.

"Kids don't get drunk at school. We have a few incidents of kids
coming to football games drunk, but they're drinking before they get
there," said Kendall Young, director of special programs for the district.

The survey of students taken in 2005 also indicated that 28 percent
of students reported having five or more drinks at one time in the
past 30 days. The availability of alcohol was reported as "very easy"
by 21 percent of students.

When it came to reasons given for using drugs, 28 percent of students
surveyed said it was OK to use drugs or alcohol to see what it was
like, and 26 percent said it was OK to use drugs or alcohol to have a
good time.

The survey included students from the sixth, eighth, ninth and 12th grades.

Educating Students

To help combat the pressure to try drugs and alcohol, the schools
start education programs in kindergarten. The district employs a
full-time drug education teacher who spends nine weeks at each
elementary campus, where she talks to students about alcohol, drugs
and bullying.

In kindergarten, she shows kids the difference between candy and
prescription drugs and talks to them about the importance of never
putting something they find in their mouths.

In the first grade, she teaches kids about how drugs and alcohol can
effect their growth and development.

"We target it at the developmental level and the appropriateness," Young said.

As kids get older, the educational programs become more specific and
detailed. By the time they reach the middle school level, students
study the effects of using drugs in health classes. Seventh-grade
students also learn drug prevention techniques through a program
called Project Alert, and eigth-graders learn about the consequences
of their behavior based on their individual answers through a
computer-based program called Choices Count.

Young said middle school is the time when the message to avoid drugs
is most important.

"That's the critical time (ages 13 to 15) when they are deciding who
they are going to be when they get older," Young said.

Numbers reported by the school district for the 2004-05 school year
indicated there were two incidents involving drugs on elementary
campuses, seven at the middle school and 14 at the high school.

For the first half of the 2005-06 school year, there were none at
elementary schools, four at the middle school and eight at the high
school -- about the same ratios as the previous year.

Problems At The Middle School

So far, this year, there have been two drug-related incidents at Hal
Peterson Middle School.

Last week, a 13-year-old student was removed from class after
officials found what was described in police reports as a "small
amount" of marijuana in the teen's pocket. The student was detained
by Kerrville police officers at the school and taken to the Kerr
County Detention Center.

Another 13-year-old student at Peterson Middle School was taken to
the Kerr County Juvenile Detention Facility on Sept. 13 after
admitting to authorities that he had sold hydrocodone pills to
another student. Hydrocodone is a habit-forming prescription pain killer.

Disciplining Kids

Phil Houseal, director of communications and community education for
the district, said he could not discuss specifics concerning
disciplinary action of a student, but said the district's policy
spells out what action the district takes concerning drugs.

According to the district's policy, a student who sells, gives or
delivers to another person or possesses, uses or is under the
influence of marijuana, a controlled substance or a dangerous drug in
an amount not constituting a felony offense must be placed in a
Disciplinary Alternative Education Program.

A student who commits a felony offense under the Texas penal code is
automatically expelled, according to the policy.

"This isn't a problem that starts at the schools, but it is often a
problem that is caught at the schools," Houseal said.

How long a student attends class in the alternative education program varies.

Today, there are 18 students in the district's alternative education
program at the Tivy Education Center out of a district of 4,900 kids.
The program is for students in the sixth through 12th grades and has
capacity for up to 50.

A Communitywide Issue

"What's happening in the schools is a small percentage compared to
what's happening in our community," Young said.

Young said the problems with teen use of drugs and alcohol is a
communitywide issue that has to be addressed by the whole community.
The Safe Homes Initiative is one way the district tries to involve
parents in the drug and alcohol prevention efforts.

Parents who sign up to take part in the Safe Homes Initiative pledge
to promote a zero-tolerance approach to keeping drugs and alcohol out
of hands of children. They also promise not to provide drugs or
alcohol to kids in their homes, to communicate with other parents and
to call crime stoppers if they observe something suspicious in their
neighborhoods.

This year, parents in almost 900 homes have signed up for the
program, Young said. She said the program helps encourage
communication between kids and their parents and among parents.

"We all, as a community, need to help our teens make good decisions,"
Young said.

The district also invites community speakers to come into the schools
to talk to students about drugs and alcohol. Next month, at the end
of October, campuses across the district will take part in Red Ribbon
Week, a week of drug awareness activities.

The 2005 survey of students used the Texas Prevention Impact Index
and asked students about knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Along
with alcohol use, the survey indicated that about 30 percent of
students had used cigarettes, about 19 percent had used marijuana and
about 3 percent had used cocaine.