The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper '97-'98 Controlled Substance Use: FUHSD vs. National Substance 1997 FUHSD 1997 Nat'l 1998 FUHSD 1998 Nat'l Cigarettes 37% 45.8% 30.4% 50.4% Alcohol 45.9% 52.3% 45.4% 60.1% Marijuana 27.1% 28.6% 25% 36.2% Cocaine 4.5% 4.6% 4.4% 6% Hallucinogen 7% 7.1% 7.6% 9.7% Source: Fremont Union High School District In 1997, 500 randomly selected ninth-graders answered whether they'd used any of these controlled substances within the past year. The 1998 results came from a random sampling of 2,100 ninth-through 12th-graders. Survey shows drop in drug use Results may be flawed but are still useful By STEVE ENDERS Not as many students are smoking cigarettes or using drugs in the Fremont Union High School District these days. Or so says the most recent PRIDE (Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education) survey, given to about 2,100 students last year. But despite that, nearly a quarter of the surveyed students said they smoked pot, and 45 percent said they drank alcohol. The number of students who drank was virtually unchanged from a survey taken in 1996-97, but statistics in most other categories were down. The survey asked students, "Within the past year, have you smoked cigarettes/drunk beer/smoked marijuana/used cocaine/used hallucinogens?" In all five categories, percentages fell below the national average. But even with the lower numbers, a proportion of students in the district are still using. PRIDE is a private organization that tallies drug use in schools nationwide. Survey results serve as an indicator for local and national lawmakers who try to combat the use of controlled substances. Nationwide, more than 150,000 high school students participated in the survey. The district's results may not be a wholly accurate guage, but are still useful, according to Joe Hamilton, FUHSD superintendent. "There were some problems with the way we gave it, so we have to be careful in taking the data too seriously," he said. The district first administered the survey during the 1996-97 school year with the help of Sunnyvale Public Safety, which wanted to tailor its programs to better serve the school district. In its first year, 250 freshmen from Fremont and 250 from Homestead were surveyed. Last year, the survey was expanded to all grades in each school and given to about 2,100 students. The district got about 250 responses from Fremont, Homestead, Lynbrook and Cupertino each, while about 60 percent of Monta Vista's student body responded. The district also had to obtain permission from parents before their children could be given the survey. Therefore, only those who were given permission responded. "We've done a lot of surveys, and we didn't think we did as good a job on this one," Hamilton said. Nevertheless, the survey is taken seriously, he said, because it still provides a good indication of how much drug use is occurring on campuses, and how the district should shape its policies and programs. The survey is also important to local law enforcement agencies like the Sunnyvale Police Department, which assigns neighborhood resource officers to the high schools in Sunnyvale. Knowing what kind of activity is going on also allows the force to plan its services accordingly, Capt. Steve Piggott said. Hamilton said, "We're trying to get kids connected to school and getting them to stay around during the daytime." The district's zero tolerance program is one way to steer students away from using drugs, he said. Also, the dangers of drug use are taught in district science classes, and peer counselors and student advocates help students when they're in need. With zero tolerance, students who use drugs, bring them on to campus or get caught with paraphernalia are automatically suspended or expelled. Drug-related suspensions in the district were also down significantly last year, from 103 in 1996-97 to 78 in 1997-98. Expulsions were relatively unchanged. Holly Copeland, a student advocate at Monta Vista, has been meeting with Monta Vista students who come to her through referrals by administration and school staff for eight years. "This school district is committed to looking at the student as a whole person," she said, adding that her job isn't just dealing with kids who are using drugs. Copeland gives emotional support to students who are losing concentration in school because of self-esteem and stress-related problems. She works with the advocates at other schools on programs including "Smokeless Saturdays," where students who have been caught smoking on campus have to spend a Saturday morning hearing about the dangers of smoking. "I think this is a school with a lot of parents that are very active. They have a strong interest in the health and well-being, not only of their own kids, but the student body in general," she said. [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, November 4, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.