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2009-11-21

2009-11-18

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Monday, September 28, 2009 12:00 PM

Survey, students: Teen drinking common

School official says he doubts data showing above-average alcohol abuse among district’s teens

By VICKIE MOSS, Herald Public Affairs Editor

RICHMOND — There are plenty of reasons why teenagers drink alcohol, some Central Heights students say.

Peer pressure. Opportunity.

Sophomores Amber Thompson and Chrystal Conner said they know many of their classmates who have had a drink in the past 30 days.

In fact, they said during Central Heights’ homecoming football game Friday night, they knew about several parties after the game. It was understood that alcohol would be involved, they said.

“Probably some of them here drank a few hours ago,” Thomspon said.

“Well, I’m sure not a few hours ago,” Conner corrected, looking around the football stadium as if to gauge whether any classmates had been drinking. “But after the game, yeah, they will.”

A survey, Communities That Care, by Greenbush found that more than a third, 36.2 percent, of Central Heights students drank alcohol in the past 30 days.

That’s higher than the county average, 22.4 percent. It’s also higher than the state average, 26.9 percent.

But Ron Sluder, school board president, said he has concerns about the survey’s accuracy.

Central Heights students have excellent attendance and test scores, he said. That probably wouldn’t be the case if students had problems with alcohol or other drugs.

“If you compare that to our graduation rate, it’s almost out of whack,” Sluder said. “If that’s true, it’s something we all need to be aware of.”

He recalls only one instance in recent years where a student was suspended for bringing drugs to school. Other than that, there have not been problems with students drinking, smoking cigarettes or doing drugs on school grounds, he said.

Students Brogan Pfister and Katelyn Reece, sophomores, said they knew drinking happened, too.

“We have a lot of students who do,” Reece said. “But it’s a problem for all teenagers, not just our school.”

Pfister said Central Heights’ rural location makes it easier for teenagers to drink and not get caught.

“Most schools in town, word gets around,” Pfister said. “The cops really can’t find most of the places out here, but the kids know where to go.”

Thompson said she believed parents’ marital status also was a reason some students drink. She said a lot of students come from broken homes. Students who spend time alternating between parents have more opportunities to drink without getting caught, she said.

And peer pressure was another reason teenagers drink, Conner said.

“The popular kids do it to stay popular,” she said.

Thompson also said she believes students use other drugs as much as alcohol. Conner said more students smoke cigarettes than anything else.

The Communities That Care survey found 23.5 percent of Central Heights students had used marijuana at least once, compared to 12.4 percent of students in Franklin County and 16 percent of students in Kansas. The survey also found 39.3 percent of Central Heights students had smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days, compared to 27 percent of students in Franklin County and 29 percent in the state.

Thompson and Conner said the school district provides education about the dangers of drinking and drugs.

Last year, they heard from area speakers, including law enforcement, who made a big impact.

“It makes you think about what could happen,” Thompson said.

“But then you kind of forget about it once you leave class,” Conner added.