Pubdate: Sun, 22 May 2005 Source: Berkshire Eagle, The (Pittsfield, MA) Copyright: 2005 New England Newspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/897 Author: Jennifer Fenn Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) MASS. PLANNING 'SOBRIETY SCHOOLS' BOSTON -- Massachusetts officials plan to open two sobriety schools within the next year for recovering student addicts, many of whom are at risk of relapsing if they stay in their old high school environment. Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey proposed the plan last week as part of a statewide strategic plan for preventing and coping with substance abuse among the youth and adults. It's also an idea that's being pushed by Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Brighton, the chairman of the Legislature's Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee. "It's clear that what we're doing is not working, so we've got to be innovative and creative," said Tolman, who initially approached Healey about the sobriety schools. "We need to find ways to have more support services for people suffering from this dreaded disease. " Statistics show that between 70 and 90 percent of recovering students relapse if they return to their home high school. However, those numbers are reversed when students enter so-called sobriety schools -- regular high schools where recovering students attend classes without fear of running into a drug dealer but that also have support services available. The schools, however, are not treatment centers. Bleak choices Today, kids who come out of treatment programs have no place to go outside their old environment, Healey said. Kids either drop out of school to avoid the peer pressures they faced in school, or they go back to school and fall into their old behavior. "The choice is bleak, and it's dooming them to failure," she said. "You give up on your education or run the risk of being drawn back into the life of a drug addict." Healey said she'd like to start with two schools -- one in Springfield and one in Boston -- as pilot programs. If they are successful, she'd like to add schools in other parts of the state. She said she hopes that the schools could be opened by January, but that there are still many details to work out. The schools would hold about 50 students and would be open to students throughout the commonwealth. There are about 25 sobriety or recovery schools today in the country, about half of which have opened in the past three years, said Andrew Finch, director of the Tennessee-based Association of Recovery Schools, which formed in 2002. He said more states are trying the technique because it's working. Though there have not been any studies done on success rates, Finch said most schools on average show that 70 percent of students enrolled remain sober. Finch, who also runs a recovery school in Tennessee, said the schools are all different but have the same mission of providing a safe, sober, educational environment for recovering addicts. He said schools vary in terms of funding, governance and philosophy. He said the biggest challenges for those looking to open a school are funding and lack of public understanding and support. "The expense of a small school with a very specific population is a huge barrier year after year for every school, and it's a barrier for schools getting open," Finch said. Healey envisions the school being set up as a charter school. She said she doesn't think the schools would require much new funding beyond start-up costs because the student cost would be covered by the student's home district. Some schools raise money privately from individuals or seek grant money from foundations. In Minnesota, 70 percent of Sobriety High's budget is from public funds. Sobriety High, one of the first recovery schools in the nation, has three campuses in the state and is often used as a model for other such schools. Sobriety High Director Jim Czarniecki said his school focuses on academics, while others have a stronger therapeutic approach. Sobriety High is not a continuation of treatment for the students, but provides a support system, he said. Although it's important to provide a safe environment for students, Czarniecki said, they shouldn't be isolated from the community, or else they will have trouble reintegrating after graduation. Students are required to attend meetings in the community, hook up with a sponsor in the community and develop a support system outside the school. "It's not simply about your network of sober friends at school, but building that network in the recovery community," Czarniecki said. Tolman said Massachusetts will be looking closely at how Sobriety High operates as officials move forward in planning the two schools here. He said it is clear from the statistics that the idea works and believes that it is worth trying in Massachusetts. He said the need will only grow in Massachusetts because of what he described as an epidemic of OxyContin and heroin use in the state. Tolman said the long-term residential programs are working to help students in the recovery process, but more is needed to keep them from relapsing. "I see a major problem out there, and I'm trying to find a solution. And I think this is a very viable solution -- a piece to the puzzle to help children," Tolman said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom