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- ~. 'J , -. .. - . ....•• , , .', ~.' < -.~' ,<>, • I' '. ~ • < • -.,. ... ' -, ... • 't _CONTENTS 11 o~ ~ SCHOOLN~TlONAL. SAFETY 4: ~eyond rights and CENTER ,[email protected]

Pepperdine University's National school Safety Center is By James A. Rapp a partnership of the U.S. Department of Iustice and U.S. Department of Education. NSSC's goal is to promote ,- I/(js~b school safety, lmprove discipHne, increase. attendance 1 10 !Educated rites and suppress drug traffic and abuse in all our nation's s<:hools. L.o1 passage Ronald D. Stephens, Executive Director By Ronald W. Garrison Stuart Gl'eenbaum, Communications Director Ronald W. Garrison, Field Services Director r:. /IdS" 7 Donna Clontz, GenemJ Counsel 12 I Emotional safety James E. Campbell, Business Manager t9!ld growing up Pepperdlne University NSSC Steering Council: David Davenport, PreSident, Chair: William B. Adrian, By Bob Ditter Provost, Vice Chair: Michael F. Adams, Vice President, University Affairs; Nancy Magnusson~Fagant Dean, /' IIG.ffD 5" Graduate School of Education and Psychology; J. Edward 16 16 ( Disappearing markers Mandrell, Dean of Students; Ronald F. Phillips, Dean, School of Law; Charles B. Runnels. Chancellor; \and deviant behavior Ronald D. Stephens, Executive Director, NSSC: John G. Watson, Vice President. Student Affairs; and James R. By David Elkind Wilburn, VIce President and Dean, School of Business and Management. r:' 0 S " 20 I SignificantJ' adults1. AI \and at-risk youth BY Joseph J. Galbo School Safety l10~70 School Safety is published by the Nationl \, Sc~". .il Safety Center to communicate current trends and effective pro~ 24 !sChOOling children grams in school safety to educators, law enforcers, law­ \about alcohol abuse yers, judges, government officials; business leaders, the media and the public. Publication dates are September -~- t , 0 S ""1 I (Fall issue), Ianuary (Winter issue) and May (Spring issue). Annual SUbscription: $9.00. 26 \Peer counseling Ronald D. Stephens, Executive Editor i~9l' troubled youth Sluart Greenbaum, Editor/An Director By Ira Sac/lnoff Brenda Turner, A'isociate Editor Cynthl. Randolph, Photocompositor <"'" 110 [;72- Articles in dlis publication may be reprinted - excluding 28 (They daI~) to care individually copyrighted material - with credit to School Safety, NSSC and a copy of reprints to NSSC. School \"'By-Ronald D. Stephens Safety encourages the submission of original articles, .nwork, book reviews and letters to the editor and will review and -consider each item for publication. Updates 2 NSSC Update Correspondence for Sdlool Safety and the National School Safety Cenler should be addressed to: National School Safety Center, 16a30 Ventura 1I1vd" Suite 200, 30 National Update Encino, CA 91436, Ielephone 818/377-6200.

Prepared under Grant No. 85-MU-CX-0003 from dIe 31 Legislative Update Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Iustice Programs, U.S. Department of Iustice. Points of view or opinion~ in this document are those of 32 Legal Update the author and do not necessarily "'piesent the official position Or policies of the U.S. L'epartment of Justice, U.S. Department of Education or Pepperdine University. 34 Resource Update

Copyright © 1988 National School Safety Center. Resources 9 NSSC Resources About the cover: Just as passing from grade to grade, growing up requires learning and balancing a series of r1gh~, and responsibili­ 23 "What's wrong With This ties. Cover by Geoffrey Moss. Copyright © 1978, Wash· Picture?" (fiL1XlIvideotape) ington Post Writers Group. Reprinted with permission. 35 "Principals of Leadership"

School Safety 3 Winter 1988 other drug use - especially marijuana. Adolescent problem drinkers tend to place greater emphasis on personal autonomy. They also perceive a greater Schooling children emphasis on social approval, support, p:-essure and opportunity from parents about alcoh.ol abuse and peers to drink. Teen-age problem drinkers are likely to have more con­ flicts wilh their parents, causing them to seek out peers for surport. Problem drinking is also typically associated A number of questions about adolescent or drinking and driving, and alcohol­ with youths who lack social control and alcohol use and abuse are commonly relat'!d problems with school officials, have feelings of alienation and low self­ asked by parents, educators, law en­ friends or a date. esteem.3 forcement officials, community mem­ bers and adolescents themselves. Using the above definition, approxi­ Education and prevention programs Contrary to popular opinion, recent mately 30 percent of 10th through 12th In America, we have a strong tradition studies by the Alcohol, Drug Abuse grade students could be classified as of turning to the school system to solve and Mental Health Administration show problem drinkers.! Another commonly our social problems. This aho has been that adolescent alcohol use has gradual­ accepted definition of a problem or true for the problem of adolescent alco­ ly declined for at least the past five heavy adolescent drinker is one who hol use and abuse. Alcohol education years These studies also revealed that consumes five or more drinks at least began in the late l800s as a product of 80 percent of American youths in once a week. About 15 percent of high the temperance movement, and by the grades seven through 12 say they have school students are estimated to meet early 1900s, virtually all states required had a drink at least once in their lives, this criterion, and almost one-third of instruction in the public schools about with 50 percent of seventh-graders and high school seniors reported this level alcohol use. These programs assumed more than 90 percent of high school of drinking during the preceding two that alcohol itself was the problem, and seniors reporting having used alcohol at weeks, according to research completed the goal was to teach abstinence for least once during their lifetime. Al­ last year by the National Institute on adolescents as well as adults. though approximately 25 percent of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Beginning in the 1930s and 1940s, high school students who were surveyed No matter what definition of problem when the temperance movement started say they abstain from alcohol use, ap­ drinking is accepted, alcohol intoxica­ to wane, the approach of alcohol educa­ proximately 5 percent of high school tion poses great health risks for adoles­ tion programs became less moralistic students are daily alcohol users. cents. Probably the most dangerous risk and more scientific, factual and health­ for teen-agers is that they often drink in oriented. By the 1960s, little emphasis Adolescent problem drinkers unsupervised settings away from home, was placed on abstinence and instead Estimates on the number of adolescent frequently in or while driving automo­ programs concentrated more on alcohol­ problem drinkers vary depending on the biles. Heavy alcohol use also frequently ism and "responsible drinking." The age span considered and how problem disrupts the natural nutritional and met­ responsible drinking approach acknowl­ drinking is defined. Statistics range abolic cycles critical for an adolescent's edges that most adolescents drink to from as low as 2 percent to as high as growth, and it can retard the develop­ some degree, therefore, the focus is on more than 50 percent of all adolescents ment of adequate coping, learning and helping students make informed deci­ being classified as problem drinkers. problem-solving skills necessary for sions about drinking or abstaining. One common definition of adolescent proper life functioning.2 The first responsible drinking pro­ problem drinking is when either one of One of the overwhelming reasons grams emphasized an information-only the following criteria are met: why kids drink is because they aspire to approach based on the belief that if e getting drunk (usually defined as five be adults. In general, problem drinkers adolescents knew about the dangers of or more drinks) six or more times in tend to be youths who have less conven­ alcohol abuse, they would develop ap­ the previous year; or tionality and conformity to established propriate attitudes and behaviors to pre­ o having negative consequences two or institutions (especIally church and vent future problems. Evaluation studies more times in the past year in at least school) and more involvement in delin­ that have been done show these pro­ three problem areas such as trouble quent activities such as lying, stealing, grams can be mildly successful at with the police because of drinking aggression and, for many teen-agers, changing knowledge, and, to a lesser

School Safety 24 Winter 1988 extent, attitudes toward alcohol use. But Drivers (MAD D) , Students Against communication techniques. such programs are not generally suc­ Driving Drunk (SAD D) and Remove o Making community members aware cessful at changing levels of consump­ Intoxicated Drivers (RID). that adolescent alcohol problems con­ tion or alcohol-related problem behavior. o Involving parents in the prevention, cern everyone in the community, not An article to be published later this education and treatment of their just those directly involved. Keller year in the Journal of Studies 011 child's alcohol behavior. Some very correctly points out that "the youth­ Alcohol CA. Mauss and R. Hopkins) promising findings have come from and-alcohol problems will be resolved evaluating the "Here's Looking at You" programs teaching "parenting skins" when the adult-and-alcohol problems curriculum, which is probably the best that will help in the prevention of are resolved. Adolescents will drink designed and implemented program of risk factors associated with alcohol and not drink, the way adults drink its kind, concluded that it had only a and drug abuse and other forms of and not drink."4 modest impact on the psychosocial delinquency. At a minimum, parents o Developing realistic, effective, broad­ variables assumed to mediate drinking need to be taught the warning signs based alcohol education and preven­ behavior and had essentially no car­ of problem drinking and appropriate tion programs in the schools. The ryover effect on subsequent drinking focus should be on alcohol education behavior. embedded in an overall emphasis on SADD challenges health and the strengthening of psy­ Recommendations chosocial skills necessary for adoles­ School-based programs should be inte­ fellow students cent development. Teachers also need grated into a communitywide prevention to receive appropriate training. and treatment effort that includes: " Having schools develop effective lines o Raising the mininum legal drinking Students Against Driving Drunk of communication with parents and age to 21 years of age. Research con­ (SADD) is an organization dedi­ community agencies. Channels need sistently shows that raising the drink­ cated to eliminating drinking and to be clearly defined for identifying ing age does reduce consumption, driving deaths among teens. youths with alcohol problems early alcohol-related problems and alcohol­ This year SADD has launched a and, by working with parents and related traffic collisions. special "Challenge '88 - Celebra­ teachers, counseling these youths at o Restricting the availability of alcohol­ tion of Life" campaign with the school or referring them to appropri­ ic beverages. Evidence suggests that goal of reducing the number of ate community resources. Policies alcohol consumption decreases as teen-age deaths caused by drink­ need to be clearly defined concerning price increases, and, to a lesser ex­ ing and driving to under 1,000 what cases should be referred to the tent, as avaiiability decreases. Laws in 1988. Local SADD chapters criminal justice system. prohibiting selling and serving alcohol will be having several special o Involving adolescents themselves, both to minors need to be strictly enforced. events during the year to pro­ those with and without alcohol prob­ o Examining further how alcohol adver­ mote the campaign. lems, in the planning and execution of tising and the mass media's depiction Since SADD began, the number education, prevention and treatment of alcohol use affects consumption of teens age 15-19 who have died efforts. Programs such as Alcoholics (both positively and negatively), from drinking and driving-related Anonymous (AA) and SADD offer especially for impressionable youths. accidents on our nation's highways models for such treatment. 0 As yet, the exact nature and magni­ decreased from more than 6,000 tude of this relationship has not con­ in 1981 to slightly more than Endnotes sistently been determined. 2,000 in 1985. SADD is now chal­ I. Donovan. I .• and lessor R. (1'118). "Adolescent Problem o Enforcing drunk driving laws more lenging youths to cut the number Drinking: Psychosocial Correlates in a National Sample Study." lm/nlal of SlUdies on Alcohol, 39. 1506-1524. strictly. Research consistently shows of teen-age drunk driving deaths 2. Mayer. J.. and Filstead, W. (1980). Adolescence and Alcohol. that increasing the probability of even further - to less than 1,000 Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger. J. Mandell. W.. and Ginzburg. H. (1'116). "Youthful Alcohol detection and punishment for drinking by the end of the year. Usc. Abuse and Alcoholism." In Kissin. B.. and Begluter. H. and driving reduces the number of SADD chapters have been es­ (Eds.). Social Aspects of Alcoholism. New York: Plenum, 167-204. traffic crashes and resulting injuries tablished at more than 3,000 mid­ 4. Keller. W. (1980). '~Icohol and Youth." In Mayer. J .• and and fatalities. This is especially true dle schools, 11,000 high schools Filstead. W. (Eds.). Adolescellce and Alcohol. Cambridge. Massachusetts: Ballinger. 245-256. for young drivers who are a high risk and 400 colleges, and its current to themselves and others. Pt:vple membership numbers more than Prepared by Ron Fagan, Ph.D., associ­ should be encouraged to join groups 3 million worldwide. ate professor of sociology at Pepperdine such as Mothers Against Drunk University.

School Safety 25 Winter 1988