ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS GET BIG-BUCKS BOOST

A federal grant will give the city's high schools something they
haven't had before: a comprehensive program to combat drugs and alcohol.

The district announced the grant Tuesday. It amounts to nearly $1
million over three years.

The money will pay for two drug/alcohol counselors, a part-time
clerk, a supervisor, staff training and materials. It also will pay
for Project SUCCESS, or Schools Using Coordinated Community Efforts
to Strengthen Students.

Project SUCCESS aims to reduce pro-drug attitudes among students and
their parents and stem drug abuse and and behaviors such as cutting
class, fighting and talking back to teachers, according to the
district's grant application to the Department of Education.

The services are "desperately needed," according to the application.

Project SUCCESS is a well established program that has been studied
over many years and found to be effective, said Marge Hallenbeck, the
district coordinator of student services.

Research showed that 33 percent of adolescents in Project SUCCESS
stopped drinking and 45 percent stopped using marijuana. Those are
the top two drugs of choice among local teens, surveys have shown.

"The School District of Janesville hopes to see similar rates of
improvement," according to the application.

The program includes goals for reductions in drug/alcohol abuse and
ways to measure progress.

The application cites numerous survey results showing poverty, family
problems and substance abuse affecting local teens.

"Janesville students have a much higher alcohol use compared to their
peers in the nation," the application states. Numbers cited include
2005 survey results showing a binge-drinking rate of 34 percent among
12th graders, compared with 28 percent nationwide.

The employees will be hired this summer, and the three-year program
will start in the fall. The grant will pay more than $311,000 a year.

The high schools now teach about substance abuse in ninth-grade
health, and they provide other programming intended to steer teens
away from drugs and alcohol, such as alternative activities and
efforts to make students feel a part of their school community.

But there's no formal anti-drug program after ninth grade, Hallenbeck said.

"Research really shows that the kids need to hear the message about
how alcohol and drugs impact their bodies and physical health, and
they need to hear it every year," Hallenbeck said.

The Project SUCCESS counselors will be masters degree clinical social
workers or counselors certified in alcohol and drug treatment, Hallenbeck said.

The counselors will teach part of the ninth-grade health curriculum,
evaluate students and provide seven different kinds of group
counseling sessions to meet the varying needs of students found to be
most at risk, Hallenbeck said.

The program will include a parent-education program and a variety of
anti-drug activities for all students throughout the school year.

Elementary and middle schools have more comprehensive programs, but
the high schools need help, according to the application.

The program should be well integrated into the schools by the time
the grant runs its course, but the district could seek other grants
to keep it going, Hallenbeck said.

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SUCCESS HIGHLIGHTS

Project SUCCESS will seek to reduce drug and alcohol use among high
school students at Craig, Parker and the charter schools. Here are
some program highlights:

Drug counselors will teach part of freshman health course. The
curriculum includes communication, resisting peer pressure,
correcting erroneous beliefs, problem solving and managing stress and
anger. Afterward, students will take a survey to determine which
ones need help.

Students who need help will be asked to join counseling groups.
Attendance is voluntary, so some meetings will include pizza or sub
sandwiches, and students will receive a give-away, perhaps a flying
disc with an anti-drug message. Groups will use seven approaches
tailored to the students' varied needs.

Parents identified as needing support or education will be invited to
a four-session Parent Empowerment Series. Parents may also be
referred to counseling if needed.

Activities with anti-drug messages will be offered throughout the
school year, including during Red Ribbon week and leading up to
high-risk events such as homecoming, prom and graduation.