Pubdate: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 Source: Williams Lake Tribune, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Williams Lake Tribune Contact: http://www.wltribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1226 Author: Gaeil Farrar Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?217 (Drug-Free Zones) ARE DRUG FREE ZONES EFFECTIVE? The effectiveness of drug free zones around schools in School District 27 was among the topics discussed by the district education committee Thursday, September 8. The committee was discussing implementation of the new drug free zones in 100 Mile House, when parent representative Chantal Lambert asked how effective the program had been in Williams Lake. Superintendent Wayne Leckie said the district was not permitted to track individual cases that went to court, but he said district principal Joe Pearce had reported that suspensions regarding drugs and alcohol have gone down at both Columneetza and Williams Lake secondary schools. Trustee and acting committee chair Debra Ostrander, noted that a lot of the cases related to the drug free zones haven't gone to court yet but police do say that creating the drug free zones around the schools has helped their work, although privacy concerns prevent them from giving specific case examples. In 100 Mile House, she said that along with declaring the drug free zones, the municipal council, school district and police are also making a proclamation which would be read out with the charges in court, stating that the offense took place within a declared drug free zone. She said Williams Lake currently doesn't have such a proclamation, and as a result Crown is not required to state the offense was committed in a drug free zone. If such a proclamation was made in Williams Lake, Leckie said the district would need to discuss the idea with Williams Lake city council and the RCMP Columneetza vice-principal Rod Allnutt said that having drug free zones has created more of a sense of partnership with the RCMP in fighting the problem. Parent representative Betty Taratus asked about whether people could get signs similar to Block Parent signs which people could put in their windows which declare their neighborhood a drug free zone. In an interview Friday, Pearce said he would find out whether the signs are available. He also provided information on the suspension rates since the drug free zones were implemented around Columneetza and Williams Lake secondary schools 18 months ago. Pearce confirmed that suspensions for drug and alcohol problems in the entire district had decreased by 18.7 per cent in 2003/2004 and by 15.2 per cent in 2004/2005. Pearce said suspensions related to drug and alcohol problems fell by 59 per cent at Williams Lake Secondary and by 10 per cent at Columneetza. He says there was an incident at WLSS where a large number of students had brought alcohol to a school function which skewed the figures for that school higher than they might have been. While he can't say the drug free zones are responsible for reducing the number of drug and alcohol related suspensions he believes they are part of the overall effort which is creating a heightened awareness around the issue and provides teachable moments for students in the classroom. He says it would also be fair to say that creating the drug free zones has also created a heightened state of vigilance in the schools and in the community. But he said it is likely too early to say if the drug free zones are entirely responsible for the drop in suspensions. He says the use of drugs and alcohol among students tends to be cyclical and fluctuate from year to year depending on the demographics and mix of students. With the creation of the drug free zones he said protocols related to drug and alcohol suspensions, both punitive and rehabilitative, have also been more firmly established within the schools and with the RCMP. For instance a student may be suspended and referred to alcohol and drug counselling if caught with alcohol or drugs. "I believe the drug free zones may contribute to the reduction in suspensions but so far we don't have any definitive proof of that. The proof will come 10 or so years from now if the suspension statistics continue to stay low," says Pearce. Const. Dan Skretting said he would look into the issue and get back to the Tribune. He said the police haven't seen a substantial number of complaints within the drug free zones so there is no clear data to say whether they are working or not working. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom