Questions Related to Specific Safety Problems (continued)

Buy this book »

Besides developing familiarity with the signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol use, educators need to help parents and students recognize these indicators. Students should be encouraged to report when classmates may be abusing drugs and alcohol. Students, understandably, are more likely to inform school authorities if their identity can be concealed. Several court cases indicate that school authorities are not compelled to disclose who provided them with information related to drugs and alcohol (Johnson, 1989).

Providing all students with instruction related to the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol is another important responsibility of all schools. Instruction should cover such issues as the consequences—physical, psychological, social and legal—of drug and alcohol abuse and how to handle situations in which there is pressure to use illegal substances. The latter often is referred to as "resistance training." Competency in self-control, stress management, social problem-solving, conflict resolution, and communications are additional useful goals of instruction. Gottfredson (1997, pp. 5-28 to 5-38) reported that instruction of the kind noted above can be an effective approach to curtailing substance abuse. Two instructional programs with demonstrated effectiveness for secondary students are ALERT (Ellickson & Bell, 1990) and Life-Skills Training (Botvin, Baker, Filazzola, & Botvin, 1990).

Enforcing school rules related to the possession, use, and distribution of drugs and alcohol is the fourth responsibility of schools that are committed to curtailing substance abuse. It is of little value to have rules if they are not enforced consistently. Many school systems in the United States operate with zero tolerance policies in matters of drugs and alcohol. Consistent enforcement of these policies sends a potent message to young people thinking about bringing illegal substances to school.

Enforcing school rules related to controlled substances may entail periodic locker searches, drug testing, and "sweeps" by drug-sniffing dogs. The preceding discussion regarding student rights and privacy issues should be reviewed before adopting these measures. Surveillance cameras in isolated parts of the school can help to discourage students from transacting drug sales on campus. Some school systems provide a hot line so that students can provide school administrators with anonymous tips concerning drug deals, local parties where alcohol and drugs may be present, and classmates who are abusing these substances.

Blauvelt (1999, pp. 33–34) offers several guidelines concerning enforcement of rules related to drugs. When a school administrator comes across a suspicious substance, the individual should place it in a clean plastic bag and then place the bag in a clean envelope and seal it. The date and time when the substance was found should be indicated on the envelope along with where it was found and from whom it was received (if another person was involved). The police should be contacted and asked to pick up the envelope and run a test on its contents. When a police officer picks up the envelope, she should be asked to provide a written receipt.

Schools should be prepared to assist students who have been discovered to be abusing drugs and alcohol. Where zero tolerance policies are in place, such assistance, of course, may need to be provided outside of the regular school setting. Special counseling, behavior modification programs, and direct instruction can be useful, as can participation in a support group consisting of students with similar problems. Parents, too, may benefit from these interventions under certain circumstances. Alternative schools have proven to be effective settings for some young people in need of help overcoming substance abuse (Gottfredson, 1997, pp. 5-28).

Although schools alone may be unable to prevent all young people from experimenting with and abusing drugs and alcohol, they can play a vital role in community-based efforts to reduce these problems. The inability to control many of the factors that lead young people to use drugs and alcohol is not an acceptable reason for ignoring the problem.

What can schools do to combat the negative influence of gangs?

Gangs have long been a feature of U.S. social structure. There are indications that their influence, particularly in schools, is growing. A government report published in 1998 (U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice, 1998, p. 34) indicated that the percentage of students reporting that street gangs were present at their schools rose from 15% in 1989 to 28% in 1995.

Gangs come in all shapes and sizes. Huff (1989), in studying Ohio gangs, identified three basic types of gangs. Informal hedonistic gangs concentrate primarily on partying and committing minor crimes, mostly against property. Instrumental gangs commit property crimes for economic reasons and engage in the sale of drugs. Predatory gangs are involved in violent crime. Gangs are a concern for educators because gang activity sometimes spills over onto campuses, resulting in fights, "get even" acts, and vandalism. Gang members, many of whom are no longer in school, also may recruit students and enlist them in efforts to distribute drugs and commit other crimes at school.

Efforts to eliminate gangs have not proven particularly effective (Sherman, 1997, pp. 3-10 to 3-19). Besides, educators alone are not in a position to take the lead in such endeavors. Educators, however, can work to reduce the underlying factors that lead to gang involvement and to discourage young people from turning to gangs as a way to resolve difficulties in their lives. Among the actions that schools can take to combat the negative influence of gangs are the following: