School Drug and Alcohol Policy Appears To Be Major Success

The once-ridiculed Chemical Health Policy appears to be a major success.

In a presentation to the School Committee Wednesday night, Principal Layne Millington said the 18-month-old policy “has had an impact – a positive impact.”

In the three months of August through October of 2010, before the policy was implemented, there were 148 students who had chemical health violations in six incidents. That was 49.3 students per month, Millington said.

In the 17 months from November 2010 to March 2012, 40 students violated the in 10 incidents. That was 2.4 students per month, he said.

“Improvements were seen across all measures,” Millington said.

Asked by the committee members what the students think of the policy, the principal said, “I think they are still not happy.”

He said it is his opinion that students continue to drink alcohol and use drugs, but they are more cautious.

Before the implementation of the policy, which can prohibit students from participating in extra-curricular activities, students were more blatant about their consumption of alcohol and drugs, he said.

Now they “are navigating things a little better,” particularly avoiding the police, Millington said.

Committee member Marianne Hartmann said she has been told by some of the school athletes that they have not gone to a party to avoid being caught violating the policy.

Athletes can be suspended from playing sports by the state athletic association.

The Swampscott High drug and alcohol policy requires students to meet with a counselor to “talk things over,” Millington said. It is not punitive.
 

Getting Students to Think

He said the policy seems to have accomplished its goal “to educate students and to get them to think.”

There has been a lot of confusion about the policy. It does not expel or suspend students. It does not “get students in trouble for having a sip of wine at religious ceremonies or family events,” he said.

He outlined the results of a student survey, which 85 percent of the students completed.

In every category, the students reported drinking less while driving, smoking marijuana less or taking harder drugs less often, as compared to a survey last year.

For example, to the question of whether a student had drunk alcohol over the last 30 days, 52 percent said no, as compared to the earlier survey of 46 percent. There were also a reduction in the number of students who reported that they had not engaged in binge drinking in the last 30 days.

There was a 5 percent reduction in the number of students who reported smoking marijuana in the last month.

Similarly there was a reduction in the number of students who said they had used heroin. Millington said he was surprised that heroin, which is cheaper and pure enough now to be smoked, was not on the rise.

He also expressed surprise that there was not a rise in the use of ecstasy. There was a slight reduction from 6.5 percent to 5.8 percent among students who reported using ecstasy at least once. Millington said students know not to drink at the school dances, but they will use ecstasy, which is harder to detect.

The students reported no change to the question of whether they had been offered drugs on school property in the past year.

Millington said that result did not surprise him. “Swampscott is an affluent community. Students can afford it.”

But he said they do not appear to be bringing the alcohol and drugs to school.

Asked if he would change anything in the policy, the principal told the committee that he is satisfied with the policy as it is.

Expanding the Policy to the

The principal was asked if he thought the policy should be expanded to the middle school. Millington said he would like to discuss it with the new principal, Robert Murphy. He said some eighth grade students experiment with alcohol and drugs during the summer before they enter high school.