Prevention is the key to addressing substance abuse among youth.
Our district has made it a priority to address the needs of our students and families by implementing effective drug and alcohol prevention and intervention programming. Marcene Weatherall, Coordinator for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, is available as a resource, providing students, faculty and staff with the tools needed to increase awareness in the area of substance use, abuse and addiction among our students and providing strategies to address these issues.
In a continuing effort to provide resources for parents, the KISD is making available to families access to an online drug education program. To participate, please read this letter from our Athletics Director Bob DeJonge and Fine Arts Director David Stevens. Then click on this link to begin...... Parent On-line Program.
Parents, the Anti-Drug! Parents are 50% of prevention! Know the Who? What? When? and Where? Statistically, most youth that choose not to try drugs, do so to prevent disappointing their parents. Does your child know your position on drug and alcohol use? Is communication about drugs and alcohol consistent, timely and appropriate? Are you asking the right questions?
Did you know..........?
- Texas leads the nation in inhalant use deaths!
- 3% of the nation's 4th grade population has already inhaled a substance to get high
- 4 primary drugs of choice among Texas youth are alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy, inhalants
- Texas is #1 in the nation for adolescent alcohol-related traffic fatalities!
- Youth who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to become alcoholic
- Average age to begin drinking alcohol among Tarrant County youth is 11.6
Click on the following links to find out more about local dug trends among our students:
THE SPORTS PAGE (SUBSTANCE ABUSE PART1)
THE SPORTS PAGE (SUBSTANCE ABUSE PART2)
Drug Alert:
Tuesday, April 20, may be a holiday for your teen........
4:20 or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is a term used as a discreet way to refer to the consumption of marijuana and a way to identify oneself with the drug subculture. There are many theories about the origin of the term, but marijuana users continue to observe 4:20 as a time to smoke together and April 20 has become a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume marijuana.
420 has become a code for a time to get high, a symbol of marijuana and it's culture. Teenagers believe they can talk about getting high in front of their parents without them knowing by using the phrase 420. Fortunately, your teenager will not have that option. April 20th (this Tuesday) events are international and 4:20 has become a worldwide "burn time." For parents, its a red flag, a warning sign that your teenager may be into something that could harm their future. When you see the symbol 420, beware of what it represents. April 20th has now become "National Pot Smokers Day".
Check out KISD summary of drug survey results:
Informational Brochure about Voluntary Student Drug Testing
Parent Consent Form for Voluntary Student Drug Testing
Online resources:
http://www.theantidrug.com/
http://www.health.org/ (free resources)
http://www.inhlantabusetraining.org/ (self-paced, parent education)
http://www.freevibe.com/ (for teens)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT MARCENE WEATHERALL, KISD COORDINATOR FOR DRUG/ALCOHOL ABUSE PREVENTION AT 817-744-1065 OR VIA EMAIL AT MARCENE.WEATHERALL@KELLERISD.NET.