MANDATORY DRUG ED

Drug and alcohol education will be a mandatory part of the Grade 10
curriculum and students who fail to pass the course won't get their high
school diplomas, says Education Minister Christy Clark.

Clark made the announcement in Coquitlam on Thursday during a meeting with
Now newspaper reporters.

"We're going to make alcohol and drug education a mandatory part of the
curriculum in Grade 10 for every child and if they don't pass that course,
which will be Planning 10, they won't graduate," Clark said.

Clark said the purpose of the course is to ensure that every student in
British Columbia who graduates from high school will have "a core
understanding of the impact of substance abuse."

Carolyn Huggett, 17 and a student at Elgin Park secondary school, says the
program is a good idea.

"I think it might be kind of a drag, but I think in the end it's probably
going to be worth it because you don't get enough of that kind of education
about that stuff in school," Huggett said.

"It's better being informed than not informed."

Huggett said when she was in Grade 10, about two weeks of the career and
personal planning course were devoted to education about the dangers of
drugs and drinking and driving. Her classmates, as well as students in
other schools, also get visits from survivors of car crashes triggered by
drunk drivers who warn them about the perils of drinking and driving.

Huggett says preventing students from graduating if they fail the program
is a bit harsh. Since so much depends on a passing grade, students should
be able to re-take the test until they pass, she said.

Clark said ministry staff is currently working on developing the program
and hopes to have it in place for September 2003.

The drug and alcohol aspect will be "a key component" of the Planning 10
program.

"We're hoping to be able to do it for this September but curriculum changes
take a long time, so it may not be until next September," she said.

Clark said teaching teens the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse is
especially timely in light of the fact there has been a rash of car crashes
and deaths in recent times involving teenagers. She also noted some teens,
especially at grad time, may be tempted to experiment with drugs or
alcohol, which sometimes leads to tragic results.

Clark conceded that some school districts already offer drug and alcohol
education. But she says it's not enough.

"I think it's spotty. I think in some districts they do a lot of it. In
some other districts they don't do very much of it."

Clark said the new program is intended to complement existing drug and
alcohol education programs at schools, such as the DARE program offered by
police, and those schools are perfectly free to continue with their
initiatives.

But she wants to make sure the message is "embedded in the curriculum and
that every child learns about it before they get into a car and go to a
grad party."