Pubdate: Sat, 25 Jun 2005
Source: Parkersburg News, The (WV)
Copyright: 2005, The Parkersburg News
Contact:  http://www.newsandsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1648
Author: Michael Erb
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
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STUDENT SURVEY SHOWS ALCOHOL USE

A countywide survey concerning student drug and alcohol abuse shows some
disturbing numbers for Wood County Schools.

More than 5,500 local students in grades 6-12 participated in the
national PRIDE Survey for the 2004-05 school year. The results for
Wood County were released Friday during a meeting of the Wood County
Board of Education.

According to the survey results about 56 percent of students in grades
10-12 reported they had drank beer during the 2004-05 school year and
nearly 55 percent reported liquor use during the same year. In grades
6-9, about 27 percent reported drinking beer and 20 percent reported
consuming liquor.

Though the percentages for drug use were not as high, board members
expressed concern over the number of students abusing drugs. Almost 36
percent of senior high students and 15 percent of junior high students
reported using marijuana within the past school year. About 8 percent
of senior high students and 4 percent of junior high students reported
cocaine use.

Dianne Boggess, coordinator of the safe and drug free schools program
for Wood County Schools, said the majority of students indicated drug
use was occurring off campus in the evenings or on weekends.

Boggess said some students did indicate some drug use was occurring
during lunch periods, usually somewhere away from the school.

The survey indicated "most drug use occurs on the weekend at a
friend's house," Boggess said. "Parents need to know that."

School violence was also a topic of discussion. According to the
survey, of the 5,566 students who responded, 1,849, or nearly 35
percent, indicated they had threatened a fellow student within the
past year. More than a quarter of respondents indicated they had felt
unsafe while at school.

"Students in grades 6, 7, 9 and 10 reported feeling the least safe in
the school parking lot, while students in the other three grades
reported feeling the least safe on the school bus," Boggess said.

Nearly 12 percent, or 655 students, indicated they had carried a gun
for protection while not in school, and 126, or 2.4 percent, said they
had carried a firearm at school at least once during the year.

The survey results came on the heels of two other local statistics
that were presented to the board Friday. According to district
records, the number of dropouts declined by 10 to 194 for the 2004-05
school year.

Boggess said in some instances, the number of dropouts may be tied to
students' perception of safety at the school.

"A lot of kids drop out because they are afraid to go," she
said.

Schools also reported 1,339 in-school suspensions, up from 1,211 the
previous years. Out-of-school suspensions rose to 1,503, nearly double
the 802 out-of-school suspensions reported in 2003-04.

The number of expulsions dropped to five this past year, down two from
the previous year.

Boggess said the results of the 2004-05 survey for the most part
mirror past numbers and in some cases show a small decline. Still, she
said, the survey shows areas of concern for parents, educators and
board members.

Board members did not comment on the survey Friday, but said they
would review the findings and address them at a later board meeting.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin