Pubdate: Thu, 17 Sep 2009
Source: Sault Star, The (CN ON)
Page: 1, Front Page
Copyright: 2009 The Sault Star
Contact: http://www.saultstar.com/feedback1/LetterToEditor.aspx
Website: http://www.saultstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1071
Author: Dan Bellerose
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada)

EDUCATORS, POLICE UNITE TO FIGHT LOCAL DRUGS USE

Community Based: Initiative Seeks to Deter Usage at Elementary, 
Secondary Schools

Area school boards and police agencies are joining forces to take 
another crack at tackling illicit drug-use sales on school property.

"In the past when dealing with drugs in schools, we often targeted 
our efforts around en-f o r c eme n t ," said Bob Davies, chief of 
Sault Ste. Marie Police Services, at Wednesday's launch of the 
project entitled: Action for Building A Commu n i t y That is Drug Free (ABCD).

"We believe that to make a lasting impact, especially with young 
people, we need to have a plan in place that addresses education, 
treatment and intervention as well as enforcement."

The educational partners are Algoma District School Board, 
Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board and the area 
French-Catholic board, Conseil Scolarie Catholique du Nouvel- Ontario.

The policing partners are Sault Police Services, the Royal Canadian 
Mounted Police, Anishinabek Police Service and Batchewana Police Service.

It's a unique four-phase community-based initiative, says the 
partnership, that will be rolled out over the coming year with a 
focus to deter drug usage in the upper elementary grades as well as 
secondary schools.

It's a comprehensive effort to reduce drug use in the community, said 
Davies, "or at the very least disperse it away from the school environment."

A recent ADSB survey involving nearly one-third of its Grade 6 
through Grade 12 student population, conducted late in the 2008-2009 
school year, had 24 per cent of respondents claim they were using 
drugs, mainly marijuana, on a daily basis, said Mario Turco, ADSB 
director of education. "The overwhelming majority claim they have 
never used drugs in their lives, but we are concerned about habits 
being formed early in the lives of users and the long-lasting effects 
of these adolescent choices," he said.

"Students under the influence of drugs simply do not achieve to their 
maximum abilities."

ADSB expects to repeat its drug survey while Huron-Superior is in the 
process of organizing a survey of its own.

Substance abuse, added Davies, leads to spinoff criminal activity, 
such as robberies, break and enter, petty theft and assault. "It's no 
secret there are drugs in our schools . . . It's a widespread society 
problem not something restricted to Sault Ste. Marie alone," said Davies.

A priority of the ABCD will be prevention and early intervention, not 
simply punishing individuals, "but to place a concentrated effort to 
deter young people from engaging in drug use." School boards will 
handle the educational component while police agencies will deal with 
enforcement.

Student-based anti-drug campaigns, modeled after the highly 
successful Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID) will be 
established, and the message will be communicated to the students, as 
well as parents, through assemblies and small-group forums.

The campaign will begin with the involvement of police officers in 
intelligence gathering and targeted user identification. Intelligence 
gathering will be conducted through the liaison officers assigned to 
every secondary school, increased monitoring of parking lots and 
nearby wooded areas.

"We're not talking about an undercover operation, we won't be seeking 
out (student) informants, but it will be a grassroots approach using 
the resources available," said Davies.

Once the message of the initiative has been communicated, it's 
expected the various policing agencies will unleash a short, intense, 
enforcement campaign.

The goal in the opening phase is creating awareness and reducing the 
flow of drugs entering the school system.

The bulk of the educational aspect, including the anti-drug 
campaigns, will be rolled out in Phase Two while Phase Three will 
include individual liaison officer enforcement, including the 
possible use of surveillance cameras and the Police Services' canine 
unit, as well as supports for students requiring treatment and counseling.

Phase Four, which they hope to wrap up by May, 2010, will include a 
comprehensive report with an overview of successes and challenges for 
future planning and decision-making.

Lake Superior State University will be engaged to determine the level 
of drug problems in area schools and effectiveness of the campaign.

"We will not be targeting one specific school," said Davies, "drug 
abuse is wide spread."

The ABCDs of Community Partnership

Following is the four-phase rollout of Project Action for Building a 
Community That is Drug Free (ABCD), a joint partnership of key area 
police and education partners designed to deter drug use in upper 
elementary and secondary schools over the next year:

PHASE ONE(Education): Engage students, parents and community partners 
through assemblies and small-group forums. Police agencies will 
conduct intelligence gathering and targeted identification at schools 
culminating in short intense enforcement effort;

PHASE TWO(Education and Engagement): Establish student-based 
anti-drug campaigns modeled after Ontario Students Against Impaired 
Driving (OSAID). Strengthen partnerships with parents and school 
community stakeholders;

PHASE THREE(Intervention, Treatment, Deterrence, Enforcement): 
Strengthen partnerships with community agencies to provide timely 
support for students needing treatment and counseling and implement 
Safe Schools protocols and supports.

High school liaison officers launch intensive enforcement activities 
with possible surveillance camera and canine unit utilization. 
Partner police agencies will conduct enforcement action, including 
the laying of charges;

PHASE FOUR(Evaluation and Next Steps): Development of a comprehensive 
report by May 2010 as communication tool that identifies successes 
and challenges and makes recommendations for future. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake