A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                                Contact:  David Thomas    March 9, 1995                                      (202) 401-1579

Just Say Yes To Safe and Drug-Free Schools

A decade ago it was called "Horrible Hine." Last year, Hine Junior High School, in southeast Washington, D.C., received national acclaim as a drug-free school.

What changed?

Hine Principal Princess Whitfield says the school joined forces with the community to work harder, and more as a team, toward a common goal: "To empower students with the desire and ability to learn without being distracted by a drug-ridden environment."

"We've been very successful -- test scores and attendance have improved and, over the last five years, less than one percent of students have dropped out," Whitfield says. "Much of our success stems from the support we get through the Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program."

Initiated in 1986 by the Reagan Administration as the Drug- Free Schools and Communities Act, the law was expanded last year to give schools the flexibility also to address violence prevention and school safety issues. Congress agreed to invest $482 million, mostly in the form of grants to states, for this year's effort to protect children and youth. But, last week, the House Appropriations Committee on Labor, HHS and Education proposed to eliminate the entire program.

"It makes no sense," says U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "The most recent national survey of drug use among high school students tells us that it actually is increasing for all ages surveyed and for most drugs. This is certainly not the time to give up."

Hine, in the same neighborhood as the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress, has used federal education funds, along with other resources, to establish student and family services including workshops, health fairs, referrals, extracurricular activities, and counseling; and has developed and implemented drug education programs for children and adults.

"Teachers tell us that these programs directly impact students' personal, social and academic behavior in the classroom," says Javane Strong, prevention coordinator for California's Berkeley Unified School District. "They say it enables them to teach more and discipline less."

Similar testimony comes from the Drug-Free Schools Coordinator at St. Stephens Indian School in Wyoming. Says Jodie Dieu, "Without these monies, Project Pride would not be available to our students, parents, and community. We've been able to give students and their families new skills and tools to use in life, and we're helping to decrease the use of drugs and alcohol at St. Stephens."

Riley points out that last year Congress embraced a National Education Goal: Every school in America will be free of violence and drugs. "Now they propose to take away the resources that communities count on make their schools safe and drug-free," he says. "It would be a tragic mistake."