Fears of teen drug and alcohol abuse and other dangerous behaviors have prompted a high school in New York to schedule junior and senior proms for school nights. Students who do not show up for school the day after prom will be unable to make up their academic work, and will not be allowed to participate in sports.

• Pearl River High School administrators scheduled junior prom for a Wednesday night, and senior prom on a Sunday.
  
• This extreme measure is an attempt to curtail excessive partying and drinking that can often last an entire weekend.
• Principal Bill Furdon said after-prom parties were overshadowing the prom itself. Students were leaving the school dance as early as 10 o'clock to go into Manhattan and hit the nightclubs.
  
• Many students enrolled in other schools near New York City do the same, and parents worry about prom events involving too much drinking and excessive spending.
  

Most students at Pearl River High School are unhappy with the new policy, telling administrators that they believe they are being punished for behaviors of classes that went before them.

Furdon noted that this year's juniors and seniors will be treated to a breakfast of eggs, sausage, and bacon the morning after prom, courtesy of the PTA.

Labels: high school, prom, prevention

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Students at Rodriguez High School in Vacaville, California, who are caught drinking have something more than detention to look forward to. Instructor Shanti Hendderson -- who has first-hand knowledge of the devastation that can result from teen alcohol abuse -- has started a program aimed at teaching teens the dangers of alcohol use.

The purpose, [Henderson] said, is to provide a comfortable environment where students can discuss and analyze their problem. ...

Hendderson doesn't just talk from a book. She knows from first hand-experience how alcohol hurts. "In my senior year of high school, I was in a car accident with my best friend and her boyfriend. I was the only survivor," she said. (Source: The Reporter)

Today, Henderson uses her experience as a means of educating students. They learn about the effects alcohol has on the body and mind, and about possible genetic predispositions to alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

Labels: high school, teenage_drinking, alcohol_abuse

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On Wednesday, June 17, the Winnacunnet (N.H.) School Board voted to increase the penalties for students who violate the school's drug policy. Winnacunnet students who are caught using alcohol or another drug three times will be permanently banned from high school sports.

Currently, if a student violates the policy, he or she is suspended for 10 days. [Students] can 'buy back' five of those days by enrolling in an approved substance abuse education program. A second offense during the season means removal from the team for the remainder of the year. (Source: Seacoast Online)

Athletic Director Carol Dozibrin said the change in policy came after the school realized it had the weakest penalties in the district.

Labels: high school, drug use

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Students who abuse prescription medication often "fly under the radar" according to school officials in Muskegon County, Michigan. Still, most schools have programs ready to help those students for whom drug use of any kind is a known problem.

"Muskegon High School has a network of teachers, student specialists, administrators and guidance counselors who are alert for signs that students may be using drugs...If such changes are noted, school officials will talk to the student, at the same time including parents and guardians. Counseling, tutoring or even outside resources may be offered."

The county is finding that an increasing number of students bring prescription medications to schools (particularly Ritalin and Adderall) with the intent of selling it to fellow students.

Labels: high school, awareness, prescription_drugs

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Of the more than 7 1/2 million people who attended college in 2005, 1.8 million met the medical criteria for substance abuse or dependence. The report was released by the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University and says this number is about 2 1/2 times the national average.

"[The center's president, Joseph Califano Jr.] said nearly two-thirds of college student drinkers began drinking in high school, and 8% began in junior high."

Use of prescription drugs has skyrocketed among college students, as has marijuana use. Read more at Freep.com.

Labels: high school, students, binge drinking, college

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The Pequannock High School recently approved a new "Monday Test" that can determine if students had been drinking for up to 80 hours prior to the test. The tests will take place each Monday, but testing is voluntary and will not be forced.

"...students who test positive will not be kicked off sports teams or barred from extracurricular activities. Instead they will receive counseling, and their parents will be notified."

This is not the first school district to implement such tests. Alcohol and drug testing has been implement in several other states, including Texas. Pequannock implemented drug testing in 2005 and has seen a dramatic reduction is drug use among the school's students. Read more at DailyRecord.com.

Labels: high school, students, drug testing

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