District 60 Pride Survey Released

Results from a recent survey of local students regarding drug and
alcohol abuse will be used to make the school system safer, the School
District No. 60 superintendent has said.

The survey polled 1,647 students between Grade 6 and Grade 12, and was
done by the Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education.

"The bottom line is that we want our school environment to be a safe,
quality environment -- one that's safe and free of abuse of drugs and
alcohol," said superintendent Wayne Cheeseman.

Some of the results obtained by the survey are cause for concern, said
Cheeseman, but due to the anonymous nature of the poll, it has
provided little room for him to act on the survey's results.

For example, 18 local students claimed to have carried a gun to school
in the city, but Cheeseman is not sure of the circumstances
surrounding these claims.

Use in school plays, or hunter safety programs may have been included
in these results, he said, but there is no way of knowing for sure.

"If one student brings a gun to school for the wrong reasons, that's a
concern for us," he said.

The survey also pointed out a significant jump in drug and alcohol use
once students leave what Cheeseman referred to as the "protective
environment" of elementary school.

This result suggests that students who are beginning junior high
school should have more support, Cheeseman said.

Survey results will be used to determine what path School District No.
60 will pursue in attempting to become safer, he said, adding that he
does not think the schools are unsafe now.

"We'll be looking at the survey to see a couple things. First of all,
what the challenges are that we're up against," said Cheeseman.

"Secondly, we'll be looking at working with parents in the community.
And thirdly, where we might implement the strategies."

Members of the school division's board of directors are currently
examining the benefits of establishing drug-free zones around schools,
in which penalties for selling drugs and using drugs would be stiffer,
but Cheeseman said that is strictly in the early stages.

"We've had some discussion about that around the board table, but a
decision hasn't been made on that yet," he said.

Discussion on this issue will continue during the coming weeks, he
said.