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This page contains links to external Web sites. A Community Outreach Project in a Rural School District in PennsylvaniaCarole K. Thompson, M.S.
The Tussey Mountain School District is concerned with the educational, emotional, and social growth of the individual student. The district works to educate about and prevent and intervene in the use and abuse of all drug, alcohol, and mood altering substances by the entire student population. It is the belief of the district that these students should receive the necessary help quickly, effectively, and professionally. As an extension of the policy, rules, regulations, and guidelines that are in place are used by all school district personnel when responding to drugs, mood altering substances, and alcohol-related situations. The Community Outreach Program (CORP) attempts to coordinate alcohol and other drug (AOD) projects with local county agencies, colleges, rehabilitation centers, juvenile probation, and school personnel, as well as join families with social agencies for additional support and help. The school serves as a facilitator for all human service agencies in an effort to "join together" for the benefit of the student. We have developed partnerships, collaborations, and linkages with Bedford and Huntingdon County social agencies; Human Services (the Single County Authority); Mental Health (Base Service Unit); Employment and Training, Inc. (JTPA); children and youth services; health care agencies; the local ministry; community career centers; juvenile probation; and basic education institutions, such as Juniata College and The Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension Office. Because the school is located in two adjacent counties, the program reaches out to both Bedford and Huntingdon Counties. The Tussey Mountain School District addresses substance abuse and violence problems by implementing the following successful six basic strands:
Assessing the ProblemIn 1989 and 1994, the Tussey Mountain School District administered the Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitude, and Usage Scales survey (PPAAUS) to students in grades 7-12. The primary purpose in administrating the survey was for school officials to monitor the extent of tobacco, alcohol, and other drug usage among students in order to formulate policy and continue appropriate prevention and intervention programs. Tussey Mountain School District received a summary of the results, as well as a comparison of 7th, 9th, and 12th grade students with other students across the Commonwealth. The results pertaining to drug and alcohol use indicated that alcohol as the number one drug choice for students at Tussey and throughout Pennsylvania. However, the actual reported monthly use and intent to use alcohol for seventh grade students at Tussey was lower than reported across the State. In ninth grade, actual usage at Tussey was nearly equal to the Commonwealth. Forty-one percent of the current seniors at Tussey reported using alcohol monthly, compared with 48 percent of 12th grade students in Pennsylvania. In comparison to the other four districts in Bedford County, Tussey reported the second highest monthly usage of alcohol for students in grades 9-12. An analysis of marijuana use on a monthly basis indicated that Tussey was lower than the State usage in grade 7, but higher in grades 9 and 12. Sixteen percent of Tussey's 9th graders and 19 percent of seniors reported using marijuana monthly, as compared with 8 and 15 percent respectively, across the Common-wealth. Countywide statistics show that Tussey students in grades 9-12 reported the highest percentage of monthly use of marijuana, and there is a high availability of marijuana in the school district. One percent of the 9th grade and one percent of the 12th grade class reported using cocaine on a monthly basis. Fourteen students in grades 9-12 indicated the use of inhalants once a month. When asked to indicate the sources for acquiring drugs and alcohol, the most frequent response was friends, followed by out-of-school youth, and adults. When asked to indicate the most frequent location for using drugs and alcohol, the number one response was at a party. Other frequent locations mentioned were at a friend's home, at a hangout, at home, and in a car. A small percentage of students listed school as a location for using drugs and alcohol. Results pertaining to tobacco use indicate that the percentage of students at Tussey in grade 7 who reported smoking cigarettes monthly was approximately the same as the percentage across the Commonwealth, 17 percent. However, 9th and 12th grade students reported a significantly higher monthly usage of cigarettes (42 and 53 percent respectively) than the State average. Students at Tussey in grade 7, 9, and 12 also reported a significantly higher usage of smokeless tobacco than other students in Pennsylvania. Among Bedford County students, students in grades 9-12 at Tussey reported the highest percentage of monthly use of cigarettes. An analysis of factors related to drug and alcohol use showed that students at Tussey in grades 9-12 reported the lowest percentage among Bedford County schools who skipped school on a monthly basis. When asked to rate self-confidence and strong family values as factors affecting their decisions about drugs, the students in grades 9-12 at Tussey ranked both factors the lowest of all the county districts. The district is encouraged by the fact that fewer seventh grade students at Tussey reported an intent and actual monthly usage of alcohol and marijuana as compared with other students across the Commonwealth. One distinct possibility for the lower numbers in grade 7 is that the district began participating in the Drug Resistance Education Program (DARE) for all sixth grade students in 1993-94 and the Pennsylvania Alcohol Awareness Foundation Program in 1993 for all fifth graders. The programs will continue in 1995-96. The drug and alcohol component of the implemented Growing Healthy and Here's Looking At You, 2000 curriculum in grades K-6 may be attributed to the lower numbers in grade 7. Tussey Mountain is one of the few districts in Intermediate Unit 8 to employ an in-house drug and alcohol facilitator, as well as offer on-site counseling services. State ComparisonGrade 7Tussey Mountain students reported the following monthly usage as compared with other Pennsylvania students:
Grade 9Tussey Mountain students reported the following monthly usage as compared with other Pennsylvania students:
Grade 12Tussey Mountain students reported the following monthly usage as compared with other Pennsylvania students:
Bedford County ComparisonsGrades 9-12Tussey Mountain students reported the following monthly usage as compared with Bedford County Schools:
Community Drug and Alcohol Advisory CouncilSome 50 members of the community and county were invited to participate in the first meeting of the Community Advisory Council on September 10, 1991, at the Tussey Mountain High School Library. The 15 active members established the following mission:
The council meets four times a year or as needed with the membership from county Human Services; the local ministry; civic organizations; parent/teacher organizations; Students Against Drunk Driving Club; Student Assistance Program (Trust); Home Health Nursing Agencies; Broad Top Medical Center Parenting and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs; school counselors; and school administrators. The following are a few activities and programs that have been sponsored by this active council: Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Awareness meeting; Raising Responsible Teens Parent Program; the Fall Ministerium Awareness Breakfast; Home Nursing Teen Mother's Sessions; J.C. Blair Hospital/Broad Top Medical Center Programs—"Just Say No," AIDS Awareness, and 7th Grade Self-Esteem Week; Self-Esteem Support Groups; Mental Health Inservices for Staff and Council; Children's and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) Support Programs; Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PCLB) bulletin displays; Pennsylvania State Police "Choices" assembly; Route 913 drug and alcohol billboard display; Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) Prom Promise activities such as White Out Day, Red Ribbon Day, and Elementary Peer Helpers Program; Drug Awareness Resistance Education for sixth graders; and, most recently, the local business Place Mat Project. Policies and Alternative Placement OptionsThe school board has written, revised, adapted and approved annually policies on drugs, weapons, harassment, discipline, suicide, and crisis intervention. Most school violations/infractions are referred to the principal, who then makes a referral to an appropriate intervention source (student assistance team, drug and alcohol facilitator, alternative education coordinator for dropout prevention, school counselor, or outside agency representative). Strategies do vary based on the student's problem and needs, family history, previous violations, probation, etc. For the best success of the student, the student assistance team and administrators seek alternative placement either for a time or permanently and work closely with the alternative education program coordinator for dropout prevention. Alcohol and other drug (AOD) referrals are preassessed by either core members or case managers of the student assistance team and/or the in-house drug and alcohol facilitator. If it is deemed necessary, the preassessment is followed by county agency assessment. Students may be recommended or referred to outside agencies for outpatient counseling, inpatient treatment, or for school-based strategies such as intensive monitoring, support groups, behavioral management, etc., in order to address the student's substance abuse/dependency problem. A drug and alcohol facilitator (Certified Addiction Practitioner) offers support for the students by offering on-site counseling, individual academic monitoring, and support groups. The following groups are offered once a week during the school year: Chemical Dependency Groups, Children of Alcoholics, Resiliency Life Skills, Behavioral Modification/ Anger Management/Conflict Resolution, and Aftercare/Recovery Groups. A "venting room" is open to all at-risk students to connect with trained support personnel. This facility is operated by the drug and alcohol facilitator four periods a day, plus after-school sessions. This unique drop-in room is equipped with 13 Macintosh computers and software programs addressing both drug and alcohol and dropout prevention topics, such as "Why Stay In School," "Dealing With Your Teachers," "Drugs and You," "AIDS," "Human Sexuality," "The Solution," "Stress and Anger Management," "Job/ Career Choices," etc. Helpful information is provided to all students using a variety of both visual and audio materials, and a warm, comfortable atmosphere is provided for listening and developing trust between the students and the facilitator. Student violators are also placed in an alternative placement called in-school suspension for a period of from 1 to 3 days depending upon the infraction. This facility is supervised by assigned staff who monitor assignments and behaviors. Punishment for inappropriate behavior may be extended to an after-school program called "5:45." Student are closely supervised by trained staff members. This form of punishment requests students to stay after the 2:40 bell until 5:45 p.m. Buses are provided to transport all students home. It should be noted that due to a 1994 Dropout Grant from Southern Alleghenies Job Training Inc., the alternative education coordinator for dropout prevention is now able to identify and address some of the problems causing the disciplinary infractions and offer support and/or make appropriate referrals for the recurring 5:45 offenses. Thus far, this strategy has proved very successful. According to a survey conducted by the dropout coordinator, the primary behavioral factors that caused after-school disciplinary placement were anger, uncontrolled aggressiveness, and impulsiveness coupled with drug/alcohol abuse and family dysfunctions. 21st Century CurriculumIn 1991 the school board adopted two new drug/alcohol programs: Growing Healthy (elementary school K-6 grades) and Here's Looking At You, 2000 (1st—12th grades). Drug and alcohol education is mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in 1990, Act 211, and is to be taught annually by trained drug and alcohol providers. The curriculum with a "No Use" message has been updated with appropriate revisions to meet student and current societal needs. In-service trainings are done annually by the school-based drug/alcohol facilitator as well as by local county substance abuse specialists. The following special programs supplement the curriculum: DARE (Drug Awareness Resistance Education) is taught for 15 weeks in all sixth grades with peer helpers from the high school adding information and role modeling; "100 Ways To Enhance Self-Esteem in the Classroom" is offered annually to all seventh graders by the Prevention Coordinator from the Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension. Parent seminars, "Raising Responsible Teens," are conducted in the fall via satellite in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin. J.C.Blair Hospital—Broad Top Medical Center Extension teaches "Preventing Teen Pregnancy Program" and choices/abstinence programs for all 8th graders. The student SADD organization actively provides anti-use messages in its Red Ribbon Campaign, Prom Promise, and Whiteout Assembly; "Choice" assembly informs all junior/senior high students on drinking and driving (Pennsylvania State Police Assembly); Voyager Anti-Drug Rock Dance opens Prom Promise Week; and the Pennsylvania Alcohol Awareness Foundation offers a week of information on "Alcoholism, A Family Disease" to supplement the Drug and Alcohol Curriculum in the 5th-, 9th- and 12th-grade health classes. Conflict resolution is integrated in all 4th, 5th, and 6th grades and 9th and 12th grade health, English, and Problems of Democracy classes. Special support groups called TNT—Teens Needing Teens, sponsored by the Student Assistance Team, address the problem of anger management and behavioral modification. In 1993-94 the Drug and Alcohol Curriculum (K-12) Project received State funding and purchased 13 new computers with challenging 21st Century software programs. These software activities supplemented the knowledge component of the text and added social skills activities, bonding skills, multimedia activities, desktop publishing, and a plethora of resiliency activities/ choices, plus an array of educational games, problem solving activities, puzzles, etc., all aiding in the decisionmaking process and the self-esteem concept. This additional curriculum program has proved to be very successful, and is offered five periods a day with close supervision by the drug and alcohol facilitator. Intervention Modalities/TherapyDrug and alcohol offenders at Tussey Mountain School District are identified initially by the Student Assistance Program (Trust)—Tussey Respecting and Understanding Students. Referrals come from administration, staff, probation, local agencies, parents, self, and peers to a core team consisting of 12 members. All core team members are trained by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for 1 week in a variety of areas relating to substance abuse, depression, and mental health. The team's purpose is to identify and refer students to appropriate sources for intervention and/or treatment. The team meets for 80 minutes a week and has been active since 1988. Parents, students, and staff members receive inservice training annually by designated trainers. At-risk youth also receive school-based support from an in-house drug and alcohol facilitator and local drug and alcohol representative from the Bedford County drug and alcohol agencies. On-site outpatient counseling, substance abuse support groups, aftercare/relapse groups, self-esteem, conflict resolution, and anger management groups are offered throughout the year. The alternative education coordinator for dropout prevention closely monitors the student's academic progress and behavioral improvements. This program has been in operation for 5 years. The drop-in room at Tussey Mountain High School provides a safe environment for students to discuss their drug and alcohol and related problems with a trained drug and alcohol facilitator. Counseling is done one-to-one and/or in a group setting. Drug and alcohol peer helpers have been trained, and recovery students also participate in the support program. This special service provides crisis intervention, followup on disciplinary infractions from administration, school-based counseling to deal with family and/or individual drug/alcohol issues, and referrals to outside agencies or the Student Assistance Program. A trained addiction/prevention practitioner coordinates the facility and serves as a member of the Student Assistance Program, which works closely with the at-risk population. In addition, the drop-in room attempts to reinforce classroom prevention techniques, provides immediate intervention as a tool for enforcing troubled students to look at their behavior without the mask of denial, offers a listening service to help students, and identifies problems that interfere with academic process by exploring the reality of the problem in order to seek solutions. Problem solving techniques, anger management, peer mediation, and conflict resolution and resiliency skills are techniques used to address violence and disciplinary and drug/alcohol problems. The students arrange convenient times for individual sessions during study halls or after school. Services are available daily for five periods with after-school hours available on request. We are proud to report that the facility has proved extremely successful. There has been a significant decrease in disciplinary referrals and a significant decrease in the dropout rate from 5.5 percent in 1987-88 to 1.3 percent in 1993-94 and 2.1 percent in 1994-95. Law EnforcementTussey Mountain School District works closely with the local magistrate, police authorities, and the Bedford/Huntingdon county probation officer. Students who are on probation are closely monitored by the drug and alcohol facilitator and the juvenile probation officer. Random drug testing can be performed upon request. The Pennsylvania State Police provide an outstanding assembly entitled "Choices" to 7th-12th graders annually and conduct a classroom presentation, "Drinking and Driving," to all 10th-grade students in the driver's education classes. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board provides displays and distributes literature to all classrooms.
For two years the Tussey school district, via a Pennsylvania drug and alcohol mini- grant, adopted the DARE Program—Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education Program—for all sixth grade students. A 15-week instructional program is taught by a trained Pennsylvania police officer. This enlightening program supplemented the drug/alcohol curriculum, Growing Healthy, in the sixth grade. Eight trained peer helpers from the high school student SADD organization serve as role models visiting classrooms throughout the 15 weeks in which role playing, small group sessions, open forums, and panel discussion are held. We have observed a significant decrease in the intent to use among the junior high school population (PPAAUS Survey 1994) and attribute this to the effectiveness of the DARE Program. Educating Staff, Parents, and StudentsAccording to Act 211, the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that all drug and alcohol providers be trained and given inservice training annually. Tussey Mountain's drug and alcohol facilitator performs all inservice training and workshops to some 50 elementary drug and alcohol teachers and 4 junior/senior high school providers. Curriculum components—knowledge, and social and bonding skills—are updated in the spring of each year with additional materials added to the library for teacher use. The video series, "Choices" by Michael Crichton, and Body Awareness Resistance Network software are reviewed and also updated yearly. All staff and faculty receive annual inservice training from the Student Assistance Core Team members and local county drug/alcohol specialists relating to the identification and referral process and to all current AOD information. Student and parent handbooks are distributed at the beginning of each school year, and newsletters are sent to parents about school activities and projects. Parents are also invited by all health providers to participate in the drug education classes. Thus, through implementation/ review and update/intervention, the drug/alcohol support programs that have been successful over the past 5 years are highlighted as follows:
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