DRUGS IN SCHOOLS: OTAGO'S APPROACH WINS PRAISE

More than 2400 secondary school pupils a year, on average, are
disciplined for drug offences in New Zealand schools.

However, an active approach by Otago schools, parents and support
agencies is being credited with keeping drug issues in check in the
region.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Education to the Otago Daily
Times revealed that, on average, 2462 pupils in New Zealand a year
were disciplined because of drugs and substance abuse in schools
between 2003 and 2007. (Figures for 2008 are not yet available.)

On average, 50 Otago pupils a year were caught with drugs at school,
mostly cannabis.

During the five-year period, 75 pupils were stood down, 149 were
suspended and 38 were excluded.

Senior Constable Rene Aarsen, of Dunedin police youth aid, said drugs
were around schools and affected some Otago teenagers, but he thought
the region was doing well compared with others.

"We are not getting gangs targeting school kids like we are up north,"
he said.

He believed proactive schools, "on to it" parents, and good support
services for at-risk teenagers meant "it's not a big issue".

Most drug use occurred during the weekend.

Youth aid mainly dealt with cannabis use.

"I hope it doesn't become a big issue, because it's bad enough seeing
the kids that do come through with problems."

Otago Secondary Principals Association chairman and Kaikorai Valley
College principal Philip Craigie could not recall the last time the
school dealt with a pupil for drugs and believed the situation was the
same for most schools in the region.

"It must be on the ebb, because we are not dealing with things
terribly much at all."

Schools in the region took a "self-monitoring" stance on the issue
compared with the rest of the country, he said.

"I'm not stating we don't have a drug problem in society. It's [just]
not taking up a lot of our time in schools."

Services in place to assist young people with drug and alcohol
problems included Adventure Development Ltd and Mirror Services, both
funded by the Otago District Health Board.

Adventure Development Otago area manager Scott Blair believed the ODHB
was doing a "really good job of looking after the Dunedin area with
counselling ser-vices" and was doing better than other areas which
had no "united front".

He also believed the majority of young people did not experience
serious issues with drugs and those who did have problems had access
to effective help.

His organisation worked with young people who had moderate to severe
alcohol or drug issues and was funded to help 24 people across Otago.