By J.M. BROWN
Posted: 06/26/2009 01:30:39 AM PDT
SCOTTS VALLEY -- The Santa Cruz County grand jury has recommended the Scotts Valley Unified School District ramp up its response to student alcohol use by working more closely with community agencies and parents to reduce underage drinking.
In a press conference outside Scotts Valley High on Thursday, juror Lorna Horton said the district's superintendent and school board should "create policies that allow kids to get intervention rather than being expelled." She said there "isn't a unified approach" to dealing with teen alcohol abuse, which the jury described as "one of the highest in the county" among K-12 school districts.
However, a quick review of a student survey cited by the jury in its report actually shows Scotts Valley has the lowest overall incidence of reported alcohol use compared to Santa Cruz City Schools, Pajaro Valley Unified and San Lorenzo Unified.
According to results of the 2007 California Healthy Kids Survey, the percentage of Scotts Valley fifth-graders reported trying alcohol, tobacco or drugs at least once was 40 percent -- higher than all districts but one. But that's nearly the only area where the district surpasses others.
Horton did not immediately return a follow-up call seeking clarification about why the survey results did not appear to match the jury's characterization. Earlier Thursday, jurors had said they chose Scotts Valley because the survey indicated a high rate of alcohol use and that the district's smaller size compared to other districts made it easy to study.
The survey results, which are available online, show that Scotts Valley students in grades seven and nine reported the lowest percentage of alcohol use. Secondary students were asked whether they have used alcohol or other drugs at least once in their life and at least once in the past 30 days. Only Scotts Valley's 11th-graders reported rates higher than in other districts.
An official response by the district is required by Oct. 1, but board President Sue Roth expressed concern about why Scotts Valley was targeted. Still, she said there is certainly room for improvement in how the district handles alcohol use, even amid steep state funding cuts.
"We do have good outreach programs for our students, and the budget cutting that is going on is awful, but I do believe we need more counselors," she said.
Jurors said the district, by largely penalizing alcohol users, is not living up to its own policy to reduce drinking.
"By acknowledging the problem and joining forces with other agencies, the district could give students tools to curb life-threatening teen drinking," the report said.
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_12694068?nclick_check=1
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