Transcript NAVIGATING THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS: LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM STRATH HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION MEETING MARCH 12, 2015

NAVIGATING THE HIGH SCHOOL
YEARS: LIFE OUTSIDE THE
CLASSROOM
STRATH HAVEN
HIGH SCHOOL
HOME AND SCHOOL
ASSOCIATION MEETING
MARCH 12, 2015
Overview of Presentation
 Preventative Measures
 Professional
Resources
 Attendance
 Student
Assistance Program
 Characteristics of Safe Schools
 Senior Survey
 Research on Marijuana Use
 Recommendations and Resources for Parents
Professional Resources
Staff involvement is essential to the maintenance of
a healthy school climate
 Counselors
 Crisis counselor
 Nurse
 Psychologist
 Deans
 Faculty and staff

Health curriculum; Community speakers; Mock Crash
 Administrators
 Social worker
 SAP Team
Focus on Attendance
 Students are safest when they
report to school regularly and on
time
 Attendance rates have been
maintained at or above 95.0% at
SHHS, with an annual rate of
96%.
Student Assistance Program
 Team meetings are held every other week
 Team includes: Social worker, deans, counselors,
trained teachers, principal, nurse, psychologist,
Crozer representative
 Approximately 100-120 students are referred and
addressed through the program each year
 Referrals come from all areas of the community,
and address many concerns
 Additional programs include Groups, Peer
Educators, Diversity Trainers
Characteristics of Safe Schools
 Positive faculty role models
 Respect for diversity and difference
 Communication between students
and adults
 Constructive management of
conflicts
 “Code of silence” broken
 Relationships established between
students and staff
SENIOR CLASS SURVEY
 Monitoring the Future administered to Classes of
2006 and 2007
 Senior survey administered each spring
 National data available with varied areas of
emphasis available at
www.monitoringthefuture.org,
www.drugabuse.gov.
Attendance Indicators
Tobacco Indicators
Alcohol Indicators
Marijuana Indicators
Usage Indicators
39% report marijuana usage, other drugs significantly lower than national data,
but still a risk, given misuse of prescription drugs and others
Risks of Marijuana Use
 Schizophrenia
 Respiratory diseases and cancer
 Maternal use risks
 Impaired/reduced:
 Verbal and logical reasoning skills
 Short and long term memory
 Mathematical and verbal skill deficits
 Motivation, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships
 Increased aggression
 Addiction
Marijuana IS an addictive substance
Marijuana Addiction
 Addiction = difficulty controlling your drug use and cannot
stop even though it interferes with many aspects of your life.
 Marijuana accounted for 4.5 million of estimated 7.1 million
Americans dependent on or abusing illicit drugs (NSDUH,
2010).
 In 2009, 18% of people aged 12+ entering drug abuse
treatment programs reported marijuana as their
primary drug of abuse; 61% of persons under 15
reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse.
 Marijuana addiction similar to nicotine withdrawal makes it
hard to quit.
Academic Consequences of Marijuana Use
 A recent study found that those who used marijuana
heavily in their teens and continued through
adulthood showed a permanent drop in IQ of 8
points.
 Youth with an average grade of D or below were more
than four times as likely to have used marijuana in
the past year than youth with an average grade of A.
 College students with high levels (17 days/month) of
marijuana use were twice as likely as those with
minimal use (less than one day/month) to have an
enrollment gap while in college
Disciplinary Consequences of Legalization
Additional Risks of Marijuana Use
 Marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected
in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor
vehicle crash victims.
 According to the American Council for Drug
Education in NY, employees who abuse drugs are:
• 10 times more likely to miss work
• 3.6 times more likely to be involved in on-the
job incidents
• 5 times more likely to file a workers comp
claim
• And regular users can’t pass drug tests!
Policy 227 – First Offense
 Referral to SAP Program
 Suspension from school
 Participation in substance abuse program
 School/community service
 Suspension from representation in extracurricular
activities
Law Enforcement Perspective
• Chief David Splain, Nether Providence
• Chief Brian Craig, Swarthmore
• Detective Mike Erickson, Nether
Providence
• Officer James Irey, Nether Providence
• Officer Mike Markunas, Nether Providence
Online Resources
 SAM: Smart Approaches to Marijuana
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http://learnaboutsam.com/
Above the Influence
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsmar
ijuana
CALM: Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana
http://www.calmca.org/
Office of National Drug Control Policy
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/frequentlyaskedquestions-and-facts-about-marijuana
http://www.capabilitiesinc.com/research.html
Online Resources, con’t.
www.casacolumbia.org
www.mentorfoundation.org/Uploads/
Adolescent_Brain_Booklet.pdf
http://www.caron.org/knowledge-library/teenageabuse-addiction/marijuana
SHHS Library Media Center
Teen Health and Wellness Database
Recommendations: The Significant Seven
1. Identification with viable role models
2. Identification with and responsibility for a
meaningful role in family life
3. Faith in personal resources to solve problems
4. Self-discipline, self-control, ability to learn from
experience (intrapersonal skills)
5. Communication, cooperation, empathy
(interpersonal skills)
6. Adaptability, flexibility, integrity (systemic skills)
7. Decision-making, ethics (judgment skills)
Author: Dr. Stephen Glenn
Setting Effective Boundaries
 Eliminate electronic distractions in the evening
 Know your child’s social group
 In order to be effective, boundaries for teens must:
 Be
stated clearly and briefly in simple language
 Meet recognized and understood needs
 Have clear consequences for violations
 Be enforceable
 Be negotiated
 Be common knowledge
“Hands On Parents”
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Monitor what teens watch on television
Monitor what teens do on the internet
Put restrictions on music teens buy
Know where teens are after school and on weekends
Expect to be told the truth by teens about where they are
going
Are “very aware” of teens’ academic performance
Impose a curfew
Make it clear they would be “extremely upset” if teen used
marijuana
Eat dinner with teens most every night
Turn off the television during dinner
Assign teens regular chores
Have an adult present when teens arrive home from
school