Forum Targets Abuse in Schools

DURANGO STUDENTS' USE OF ALCOHOL, POT TOPS STATE AVERAGES

At a Durango School District 9-R "Reality Check" forum Tuesday,
dozens of parents and community members discussed ways to prevent
risky behavior in Durango schools, where students use marijuana and
alcohol at rates that exceed state averages.

One theme that emerged was that schools need to start prevention
programs early, before teens start using drugs and alcohol.

"Targeting high schools is almost a lost cause," said Monika Johnson,
a Durango High School junior.

A parent, Eileen Wasserbach, said that schools have the unique
ability to hold youngsters as a "captive audience" and should take
advantage of that by gathering data and imparting drug-prevention education.

But another attendee, Durango's Walt Heikes, said drug prevention
should not be the responsibility of the schools.

DHS Principal Greg Spradling said the school system has "accepted
responsibility for curing the ills of society, and we just can't do
that." A panel of six local experts told participants about school
district and community efforts to staunch youth drug use. John Lopez,
an OMNI Research regional prevention specialist, described
characteristics that tend to lead to drug use, including peer
influence. When it comes to avoiding the bad kids, "Mom was right," Lopez said.

School staff and a board member also said federal testing
requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act left little room in
the curriculum for drug prevention.

"We're focused on reading and math and science," said Chris Paulson,
a board member. "We're not focused on these things, and that's sad
because these are killer drugs. Kids are going to die." In state
surveys of some Durango schoolchildren, 34 percent reported currently
using marijuana, above the state average of 25 percent. Local alcohol
use of 71 percent exceeded the state average of 58 percent.

The surveys report that, since 2001, cigarette, alcohol and stimulant
use has decreased at all grade levels. However, marijuana use has
increased in eighth, 10th and 12th grades.

Some speculated that a thrill-seeking culture fed by extreme sports
has led students to seek chemical thrills. A survey reported
"sensation seeking" behavior in Durango students far above the state average.

"You have to prevent them from seeking a mind-altering thrill," said
John Marchino, assistant principal at Durango High. He recommended
that the community focus on what students do between 2 and 6 p.m.,
when many juvenile crimes occur.

Marchino and other panelists also applauded such techniques as
diversionary courts and using Breathalyzers at high school functions
to battle drug and alcohol use among 9-R students.