Pubdate: Sat, 04 Aug 2012
Source: Rotorua Daily Post (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2012 Rotorua Daily Post.
Contact: http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/feedback/letters-to-the-editor/
Website: http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2785
Author: Gary Hamilton-Irvine

9-YEAR-OLD STOOD DOWN FOR DRUGS

A Rotorua 9-year-old is among the 73 students who were stood down or 
suspended for drug-related incidents in Rotorua schools last year.

This is nearly double the national average, of 42, when compared with 
the same number of students.

New Zealand Secondary Schools Principals' Association president and 
John Paul College principal Patrick Walsh said the high number of 
stand-downs and suspensions was a worry for the Rotorua community.

"For schools, taking drugs is still one of the most serious offences 
a student can commit.

"It has long-term educational outcomes. [The student's] brains are 
still developing and taking marijuana or getting drunk on a regular 
basis is very damaging."

Mr Walsh said the push to decriminalise smoking marijuana and the 
apparent relaxing of police strictness on marijuana meant it had 
become more acceptable to smoke some drugs, despite the strong stand 
made by schools.

"It seems if a teenager is determined to find marijuana they usually can."

He said Rotorua's secondary schools tried to educate their students 
about minor drug convictions which make it hard to gain a visa in 
some countries, to gain some jobs in the future and to enter into 
certain tertiary education courses.

"It is good for the community to see schools taking a hard line on 
drugs in schools. It says to the community we need to address this."

He said a bigger problem that acted as a pathway into drugs was binge 
drinking on weekends, which many high school students were involved with.

Mr Walsh said different schools had different protocols around what 
to do when a student is found with drugs, but John Paul College held 
a zero-tolerance drug policy which included automatic suspension and 
passing the issue on to the youth aid section of the police.

He said some students were allowed back to school only on the 
condition they would be put forward for random drug testing.

The Te Utuhina Manaakitanga Trust is contracted by the Lakes District 
Health Board to work in Rotorua secondary schools on a weekly basis, 
counselling and educating at-risk students and those willing to 
inquire about drug use.

Trust general manager Donna Blair said on occasion they were 
requested to work with local intermediate students as well.

"Often we will have students come to us if they are concerned about a 
friend or family member."

She said the most common drugs in Rotorua were cannabis or alcohol 
and most students the trust worked with were aged 16 or 17.

Mrs Blair said only in rare cases would a student have grown a 
dependency on a drug in Rotorua, but in that case students could 
attend a residential rehabilitation home in Hastings, Hamilton or Auckland.

Rotorua Principals' Association president Deborah Epp said 
drug-related incidents included substance abuse, which might feature 
sniffing substances such as fly spray or deodorant.

Mrs Epp said Rotorua schools took drug-related incidents seriously. 
Inspector Ed Van Den Broek said the Rotorua police youth aid section 
dealt with any issues with drugs in schools, but they received few 
calls from Rotorua schools regarding drugs.

"The impact of drugs in communities throughout New Zealand is 
wide-reaching ... often leading to other crimes such as burglary, 
stolen cars, serious violence and intimidation."

He said in Rotorua the youth aid section's main focus was to educate 
children on the risks of drug taking, using programmes such as Drug 
Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and sister programmes like Cactus 
and Keeping Safe.

Youth aid deals with students under 17 by providing diversionary and 
prosecution services and advice and prevention programmes for child 
offenders and at-risk students.

Other high stand-down and suspension rates in Rotorua schools came in 
the way of continual disobedience, verbal assaults on staff and 
physical assaults on students or teachers.

Overall 233 students were stood down or suspended last year from just 
under 14,000 students schooling in Rotorua.

A stand-down means the removal of a student from school for no more 
than five days in any one term.

A suspension, however, is the removal of a student from school until 
the board of trustees decides an outcome at a suspension meeting, 
which can include exclusion or expulsion.

The drug-related statistics above do not include cigarettes or alcohol.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom