Substance Abuse on the Rise in Lacey Township School District

The state Department of Education recently released crime statistics for school districts and the number of incidents involving violence has decreased by 44 percent while substance abuse cases increased by 50 percent.

“You have to be careful with swings either way with what may appear to be favorable or unfavorable because every situation is unique and you can’t predict,” Superintendent Richard Starodub said. “You have to look at trends.”

For example, the general trend of vandalism in the school district has been downward over the last decade, Starodub said. The decrease can be attributed to increased surveillance as cameras were installed to monitor school grounds.

“But on a given day, you don’t know what mischief night and Halloween might bring,” he said. “We’re a little more vigilant on those nights as the police are. We’re always cognizant of long breaks. We take extra measures.”

All of cases of violence, vandalism, weapons and substance abuse occurred in the , and . For violence, 16 out of the 25 incidents occurred in Mill Pond while nine were at the high school.

There were 14 cases of substance abuse in the high school and one in the middle school.

2011

2010

2009

2008

Violence

25

36

36

32

Vandalism

3

12

6

8

Weapons

4

2

1

1

Substance Abuse

15

10

6

6

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is trending upward in the Lacey Township School District, Starodub said.

“Substance abuse, I don’t know whether it’s increasing or it can be better stated, it’s just a problem,” Starodub said. “You know enough from the reported incidents, it’s a problem and it’s an ongoing problem. No one yet has come up with the magic solution.”

The district evaluates substance abuse, he said. Although Starodub could not say what the drug of choice is for students, marijuana, alcohol, prescriptions, cocaine and even heroine are prominent.

During 2011, the report shows, that there were 11 cases of possession of marijuana, one with alcohol, one with hallucinogens and two with prescription drugs.

“To say it’s increasing, we see it as just there and we deal with it as just an issue we have to deal with,” Starodub said. “We’re interested in our students getting a good education and if they’re substance dependent, that impedes that process.”

Whether it is family, peer groups or self-esteem, the reasons for substance abuse are long and wide and must be dealt with as a whole for each individual, Starodub said.

To combat substance abuse, the school district works closely with the Lacey Municipal Alliance and has  

In the future, the district will be looking for counselors with a background in substance abuse, he said. They were also considering creating professional development in substance abuse for the current staff.

Resident Tony Risoli recently asked the school board about their relationship with the local police department and why they do not participate in K-9 searches anymore.

“The incidents of controlled dangerous substances (CDS) have gone up,” Risoli said. “In this town, like every other town, things have to be done to keep things in control.”

The school district works with the local police and has an agreement with them that is approved annually, Starodub said.

“We’re very fortunate because the school district has a longstanding relationship with the entire police department. That’s so key in this day and age especially for school security and all other related issues,” he said.

Lacey was the first school district in Ocean County to promote K-9 searches in the early ‘80’s, Starodub said.

Since then, rules surrounding searches and the use of dogs have changed, he said. A group of superintendents throughout the county made former county superintendent Bruce Greenfield aware of their interest in resuming K-9 searches.

On occasion, the district has worked with the county sheriff’s department to conduct training exercises in the schools, Starodub said. The last search was a couple years ago.

“Dog searches, as good as they are serves as a deterrent. The approach to substance abuse can’t be one dimensional,” he said.

The school district’s administrators have the ability to randomly searches lockers, he said.

If a student appears under the influence, the staff refers them to administration. The student is then required to be drug tested, Starodub said.

The school district is also considering requiring drug tests for those students who participate in co-curricular activities. Only a few districts in the state participate, he said.

“The administration in the early days and now are supportive of that concept,” Starodub said. “There are some costs involved that have to be evaluated.”

There have been several court decisions that expand the random drug testing to students who drive to school, Starodub said.

“Again, none of the solutions to the problem at large are one-dimensional. This would be one segment,” he said. “We have some tools. But whether it is dogs, the co-curricular policy, the health curriculum or the Character Education Program, not any one of those things is going to solve the problem by itself. You have to have a multi-faceted approach to deal with the issue."

Violence

Fighting on the other hand is more unpredictable.

“You could have three fights in one week and then not have any for a long period of time,” Starodub said. “Fights are usually a result of something going on between two people or, I like to say not going on. You can’t predict that.”

But the school district now has the help of the to discourage harassment, intimidation and bullying.

“The intent is very positive. It’s the bureaucracy that surrounds it, the requirements for staff and administration, is time-consuming,” Starodub said. “We strongly support anti-bullying and that hasn’t changed because of the law.”

The bill requires schools to implement staff training in suicide prevention, harassment, intimidation, and bullying; appoint a school liaison to law enforcement; establish bullying prevention programs; respond to actions that occur off school grounds; form a school safety team; and appoint anti-bullying specialists and coordinators.

The major change is the requirement to identify an anti-bullying specialist and the reporting process of bullying, she said.

“The reporting bureaucracy has really taken away a lot of time from a lot of things but even to be able to deal with a bullying situation,” Starodub said.

Though, the training required by the teachers has added another dimension and has made a difference, Starodub said.

Starodub is also now required to report bullying incidents each month to the Board of Education. Approximately 30 bullying incidents with interventions were reported for September, he said.

The state’s report shows that eight of the violence incidents fall under the category of harassment, intimidation or bullying.

Character Education and Discipline

Starodub credits the district’s comprehensive Character Education Program for keeping Lacey’s statistical trends on the low side, he said.

“We targeted Mill Pond because we thought that was the right age to make a difference,” Starodub said. “Mill Pond’s Character Education Program is a very strong proponent of the school district.”

“Our students pride themselves and have respect for property and the world around them. That’s not 100 percent but there’s a high level of that,” Starodub said.

But whether it is violence, vandalism or substance abuse, the school district takes the appropriate measures to punish the offender. In 2001, 12 complaints were filed with the police, there were 59 out-of-school suspensions and one expulsion.

Programs are also provided upon disciplinary action. This past year there were 41 cases of assignments, instruction and/or support services and 48 home assignments.

“We have a very strong discipline code in this district. There’s a very high expectation to maintain high discipline in the schools,” Starodub said.