Communities that Care Youth Survey Results- What Do They Tell Us?

Recently both the Sun Chronicle and the Mansfield News ran pieces about Mansfield's results from the Communities that Care Youth Survey, a survey that was administered last June to all students in grades 6-12 in Mansfield, Foxboro, and Norton. The survey asks teens questions about their attitudes and practices with regard to tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana usage. It was done as a first strategic step as the work of the Tri-Town Drug and Alcohol Awareness Task Force commenced. The mindset of the group, comprised of educators, police, local and state lawmakers, and representatives from various social agencies, was to obtain good data on the extent of substance abuse by teens in the three communities. To see a summary of the results, follow this link to the Mansfield Public Schools website.

In the past three weeks I have presented the results to different groups of teachers, students, and parents. There's probably nothing shocking in the results, as it is a snapshot of the attitudes and practices around alcohol and marijuana use in our state and throughout the country. And that in itself is part of the problem.... we have all grown so accustomed to the idea that kids drink and it's a "rite of passage."

For example, the survey asked all students if they have used alcohol in the past 30 days. Here are the results for Mansfield:

As the results show, approximately half of MHS seniors have been drinking at least once in the past month. These results are similar to those found statewide (where 46% in grades 9-12 report use of alcohol in the past 30 days). The survey also shows that a smaller number, 27% of MHS students, have smoked pot in the past 30 days. This is slightly higher than the state results, where 25% of students in grades 9-12 have used marijuana in the past month.

The survey asks questions that identify risk factors (things that may lead to abusing substances) and protective factors (things that may protect from abusing substances). An obvious risk factor is how easily teens may obtain alcohol or marijuana. Here's how Mansfield students perceive how easy it is to procure alcohol:

By comparison, here is how easy it is to obtain pot, according to students:

These results indicate that our students find it relatively easy to obtain alcohol, and to a slightly greater degree, pot. This apparent availability of these substances presents a definite risk factor for Mansfield's youth. This fact underscores the point that this is a community problem, not just a school problem. As a community we must come together and present a consistent, unified message about the decisions our young people make with regard to the use of drugs and alcohol. As high school principal, I have no bigger fear than getting the call that there has been yet another needless tragedy, and the life of one my students has been lost due to a poor decision.

If you are interested in seeing and discussing the Communities that Care Youth Survey results, I will be holding the first meeting of the MHS Parent Advisory Council on Monday, January 25 at 7:00 pm in the MHS library. This topic will be our first agenda item. All are welcome to attend.

This is a problem that we as a society have been grappling with for generations, and it definitely is not going to be solved overnight. However, we can definitely do more than we presently are. We must strive to get the message out to youth more consistently. We must continue to support positive options for kids such as extracurricular programs and sports. We must find tangible ways to bolster the kids that buck peer pressure and consistently make good choices. We must support policies that close the loopholes and appropriately penalize minors and their parents/guardians that violate state law by permitting abuse.

If any new ideas, programs, or policies make a difference to save the life of even a single child, isn't it worth it?