BOE Hears Results Of Drug And Alcohol Survey

By Eliza Hallabeck

District Health Coordinator Judy Blanchard gave her first presentation of this year’s Substance Abuse Drug and Alcohol survey, which asked Newtown’s youth and, for the first time, parents to answer questions on drug- and alcohol-related topics, to the Board of Education during its October 4 meeting.

Ms Blanchard will also give a presentation of the survey results to the Newtown Prevention Council, which she co-chairs with Newtown’s Chief of Police Michael Kehoe, at the council’s next meeting, scheduled for 3 pm on November 17 at C.H. Booth Library.

“I’m proud to be part of a district that has been surveying our students regularly since 1991,” said Ms Blanchard.

Using the survey results, Ms Blanchard said Newtown improves the lives of students through efforts and methods.

“The Newtown Prevention Council has been the force behind analyzing the survey results and then bringing the community together, because we know the schools alone cannot impact and reduce substance abuse,” Ms Blanchard said.

This year roughly 900 seventh through twelfth grade students were surveyed.

Responses from the survey show 37 percent of the responding students reported drinking in the previous 30 days. That percentage is down from last year’s 59 percent of responders.

Other reports from the survey show approximately 5 percent (down from 7 percent) of middle school students taking this survey report having consumed alcohol within the past 30 days compared to 12 percent (down from 27 percent) of ninth/tenth grade and 45 percent (down from 53 percent) of eleventh and twelfth grade responders, according to Ms Blanchard.

From another question on the survey, 6 percent of responding seventh and eighth grade students, 16 percent of ninth and tenth grade students, and 29 percent of eleventh and twelfth grade students reported their parents feel it is not at all wrong or a little bit wrong for them to drink alcohol.

Of the students reporting ever having consumed a drink in their lifetime, 15 percent of seventh and eighth graders, 31 percent of ninth and tenth graders, and 49 percent of eleventh and twelfth graders reported obtaining alcohol at a party with adults present who were aware of underage drinking.

“I think family attitudes continue to be our concern,” said Ms Blanchard. “Although students indicate disapproval of parents is a major reason not to drink, 56 percent of the middle school students who have used alcohol reported obtaining it from the home sometimes or often with their parents permission. Forty percent of middle school students report recent drinking at a party with an adult present who is aware of the drinking.”

Cigarette use, Ms Blanchard continued, is down significantly.

“In conclusion,” Ms Blanchard said, “the overall downward trend of alcohol, tobacco, and other use as reported by students is certainly encouraging.”

Ms Blanchard told the board that focused efforts seem to have had success, and she suggested continuing those endeavors and implementing new initiatives to target other concerns.

“We need to operate throughout the whole community with a consistent message,” said Ms Blanchard.

This was the first time parents also took the survey, and Ms Blanchard said she hopes to continue surveying parents to give more data and feedback between the numbers reported by students and parents.

“In general, parents are underestimating their children’s use,” said Ms Blanchard, speaking to the survey results, “and they report more positively on the family dynamics than the students.”

After reporting this, Ms Blanchard said the survey results show parents are a force that can influence student use in either direction.

“We just need to get them more on board with us to help reduce that,” said Ms Blanchard.