ROGERS SENIORS REPORT ABOVE-AVERAGE MARIJUANA USE, SURVEY SHOWS

Students' Tobacco, Alcohol Use Below Statewide Average

ROGERS -- More than one-third of Rogers High School seniors reported
they used marijuana, a figure higher than the state average.

That's the news the Rogers School Board heard Tuesday night from Jim
Johnson, assistant superintendent for secondary education.

Johnson summarized results from the Arkansas Prevention Needs
Assessment Student Survey, taken by 2,917 students in sixth, eighth,
10th and 12th grades in November.

The survey results were released in September, Johnson said.

The survey indicated 38 percent of Rogers seniors used marijuana,
compared with a state average of 35 percent.

Results for Rogers students in other categories showed:

* Tobacco use, including smoking and chewing tobacco, was below the
state average.

* Alcohol use at all grades was below the state average. Most Rogers
students who used alcohol reported getting it from someone older
than 21 and at someone else's home other than their own.

* Students showed increased inhalant usage, which Johnson said
follows a national trend.

Johnson did not provide copies of the Rogers substance use survey.
Ashley Kelley, Rogers School District communications coordinator,
said Wednesday that Johnson was out of the office and she did not
have access to his documents.

A University of Oklahoma Web site containing detailed survey results
for school districts required a password assigned to employees in
each district.

Rogers students in the survey reported little attachment to their
neighborhoods and low commitment to their schools, Johnson said,
both risk factors for substance abuse.

"Students indicate that drug usage is sometimes acceptable in the
community," Johnson said.

Survey results prompted Joye Kelley, school board president, to ask
if the district has a drug and alcohol abuse prevention plan.

Superintendent Janie Darr said the district provides:

* Counselors at all grade levels who can advise students.

* Several grants funding programs, like Reality Check, to target
middle-graders.

* Health teachers who include drug and alcohol information in units
within the health curriculum.

The survey results also contained good news. Johnson said Rogers
students reported they got rewards for working hard in school and
the community and felt safe at school.