Drug study pleases S.L. District

Inner-city and urban Salt Lake children don't experiment with drugs, tobacco and alcohol any more than those in suburban and rural areas, according to a 29-state prevention needs study.

The Prevention Needs Assessment is a 238-question survey clustered around community, family and school environment, based on measuring factors that affect choices about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

The study shows that Salt Lake School District's schools have reduced risk factors and promoted protective factors related to drug prevention at levels comparable to or better than schools nationally or statewide — despite the district's urban environment.

The findings of the study come as a pleasant surprise to district officials and Pat Galvin, a University of Utah professor who presented the findings to Salt Lake's school board this month.

"Salt Lake City School District's families are providing real and important help for their children despite the challenges that urban living creates for youth," said Galvin.

But the weak link in the chain is middle schools.

The study shows a significant gap in the number of eighth-graders who experiment with tobacco and marijuana when compared with other districts around the state, but by the 10th grade the gap closes.

Betty Moffat, the district's safe and drug free schools specialist, said middle school and junior high students have always been tagged as being at higher risk. Students of that age are undergoing a large developmental leap with emotional and physiological changes.

Currently the district's safe and drug-free schools advisory board, comprised of parents, teachers and community members, is looking at ways to beef up after-school and drug prevention programs already in place.

Moffat said for middle school-age students, experimentation with drugs and alcohol is highest between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m. The district's plan is to look at areas that need more emphasis in after-school and community action programs.

"We are looking more at an educational aspect — more hands-on where students can talk about an experience rather than being lectured to," said Moffat.

She said such a strong research-based study is key in enabling the district to zero in on weak spots. But Galvin is not stopping there.

The district is now taking additional steps and compiling more data to see how prevention programs or lack thereof correlate with test scores, attendance and behavior, hoping to more directly identify strong and weak points and act on them accordingly.

"Overall it's good news," said Moffat. "We work very hard in the area of prevention, and this (assessment) just shows the programs are working and helping kids."

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com