FOR THE RECORD

From an article in the December issue of the American School Board Journal:

One underlying factor that can affect student achievement is drug and
alcohol use a problem that remains a top concern among educators, board
members, and the general public. In fact, 86 percent of the public supports
zerotolerance policies for students who possess drugs or alcohol on school
grounds, according to the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll. . . .

But how serious is the alcohol and drug problem, especially on school grounds?

Consider these statistics, which come from an NCES [National Center for
Education Statistics] report on the availability, peer approval, and use of
alcohol and drugs.

Sixteen percent of kids in grades six to eight say alcohol is easily
available at school, and about 43 percent of high school kids say alcohol
is easily available.

Twelve percent of students in grades six to eight say marijuana is easily
available at school, and about 44 percent of high school students say
marijuana is easy to get on school grounds.

. . . One of the largest studies ever done on adolescent health, released
in September, has some commonsense solutions for addressing this problem.
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health a $25 million study
that surveyed 90,000 adolescents and 18,000 parents found that students
who have positive relationships with their parents and teachers are less
likely to use drugs and alcohol, become violent, or have sex at an early age.

At school, the study says, strong relationships with teachers are much more
important than any other educational factor.