Home of the Millard North Hoofbeat

Millard finds better ways to prevent student drug use

February 22, 2016

Students are becoming more and more susceptible to drug use. After recent statistics from the National Institute of Drug Abuse were released in 2014, studies showed that 27.2% of 8-12th graders have experimented with illegal drugs. This leaves students and parents across the district wondering if Millard is truly doing enough to prevent student drug abuse.

Often times, students only associate the drug dog, strict punishment procedures, and intimidating speeches as the only efforts against student drug use. Some even argue that Millard is ‘out to get them.’

Although the district puts on a façade of intimidation, increasing amounts of approachable initiatives are becoming readily available.

When student drug abuse peaked in 1997, programs like the D.A.R.E. program proved to be problematic and outdated. In fact, after the D.A.R.E. program started, researchers noticed a 3-5% increase in teen drug use.

While the D.A.R.E. program is still promoted at the elementary level, local programs have proven to have higher rates of success because of their tendency to include community involvement.

Millard’s behind-the-scenes agendas such as the SCIP program (School and Community Intervention and Prevention) serve as a less intimidating and more approachable perspective to preventing drug abuse. The SCIP program is put forth through referrals from a student, teacher, or parent. After the referral is processed, a behavioral checklist is sent to all of the student’s teachers.

Responses are confidential and anonymous.

“The tricky thing about drug use is that often times having those conversations and interventions can be hard to talk about. No authority figure in Millard gets joy out of punishing a student with drug use, but the SCIP program is a nice way to bridge the gap between a struggling student and the administration,” counseling department head Lauri Stackhouse said.

The implementation of the SCIP program is an excellent example of community involvement. MPS has the hope to convey their interest in each individual student’s well being.

Getting teachers and adults to intervene is proof enough that the district is not ‘out to get’ anyone; MPS cares about each individual’s safety.

“Additionally, there are several clubs, athletic, academic teams, and community agencies like Project ExtraMile, and LiveWise Coalition that work to educate students on the dangers and risks of substance use,” youth services coordinator Peggy Breard said.

Millard strongly supports these efforts and will announce and advocate for these programs when an event is carried out.

Although students, parents, and members of our community may have the tendency to criticize the anti-drug use efforts of our school district, it is critical that each person is informed of every program, initiative, and efforts that pertain to these issues before jumping to any conclusions.

While on the surface, students may only attribute the intimidating lectures and the drug dog to Millard’s anti-drug efforts, but in reality, the district does more to prevent drug abuse than what one would expect.

MNHS Online • Copyright 2024 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNOLog in

Comments (0)

All MNHS Online Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *