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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 20, 2005 Boys in the Rites of Passage class at White Mountain Middle School meet regularly to talk about the hazards kids face. Taught by Will Young of Be-One, a nonprofit agency, the class is aimed at reducing rates of substance abuse and sexual activity. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Shedding light on teens Survey details differences in student behavior, actions By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Angela Warren runs her finger across a row of statistics, stops at one troubling number, then another. The Medford mother of three furrows her brow, trying to make sense of new figures that reflect alarming differences in risky behavior among teenagers at local schools. Rogue River and Ashland high schools are the hot spots for alcohol consumption, including binge drinking, the latest Oregon Healthy Teens Survey shows. Ashland posts the highest local rate of marijuana use as well. The percentage of eighth-graders who’ve had sexual intercourse is highest at middle schools in Central Point and White City. Advertisement At Phoenix High School, methamphetamine use is double the state average of about 2 percent; at South Medford High School, the rate is triple, or about 6 percent. Warren, 46, is concerned, of course, for her own daughters, including 18-year-old Kate and 15-year-old Jenny, North Medford High School students who participated in the annual survey conducted with eighth- and 11th-graders last year. But she’s also worried about kids like those at White Mountain Middle School in White City, which posted the region’s highest levels of alcohol and marijuana use among eighth- graders. "Wow. That’s a huge number at that middle school who drink alcohol," Warren said. "Forty-two percent in the last 30 days of those 14-year-old kids?" Local districts agreed this week to release individual school results of the Healthy Teens Survey, a tool that can affect factors ranging from classroom rules to social service funding. "We definitely use it as one of our key benchmarks," said Carin Niebuhr, director of the Jackson County Commission on Children and Families. "We take it very seriously," said Jeff Schlecht, principal of Ashland High School. "It causes us to take a look at our policies and make changes." A look at the data reveals telling differences in local behaviors that are often obscured by countywide aggregates. For some schools, there is good news in the numbers. Hedrick Middle School, for instance, reported that 18.3 percent of eighth-grade students consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, less than half the percentage in White City. Less than 10 percent of Hedrick eighth-graders reported having had sexual intercourse, compared to about 21 percent at middle schools in White City and Central Point. For Warren, whose daughter was a Hedrick eighth-grader last year, even those relatively low figures were disturbing. "It’s horrible that 18 percent of these kids have had alcohol in the past 30 days," she said. But social service advocates worry that parents of children in schools with much higher rates of risky behavior won’t be concerned enough. "It’s those parents who are saying, ‘My kids would never do it,’ who should be paying attention," said Shawn Martinez, executive director of Southern Oregon Drug Awareness in Central Point. "None of us ever want to think our kids would want to do anything bad, but they are, obviously." Young people themselves acknowledge the behavior indicated in the survey. Eighth-grade boys in Will Young’s "Rites of Passage" class at White Mountain Middle School in White City didn’t want to talk publicly about drinking and other risky behavior. Outside the classroom, though, two 14-year-olds agreed that a lot of alcohol consumption goes on, even among kids their age. "There’s parties every weekend," said one. "It’s really easy to get," said another. Administrators at districts across Jackson County said they hoped parents would take the figures to heart. "If they’re not appalled, we’re in serious trouble," said Bill Feusahrens, Eagle Point schools superintendent. Parents should use the new, local figures to discuss issues of substance use, sexuality and other behaviors. "Research is pretty clear that the best thing parents can do is to talk with their kids, even if the kids start getting tired of it," Niebuhr said. "Parents are actually the most important way to protect kids." In Ashland, the survey indicated significant levels of alcohol consumption, binge drinking and marijuana use in a year when fatal car crashes made teen substance abuse a public focus. In response, district officials implemented a stricter policy that requires teachers to report any kids with a "reasonable suspicion" of intoxication, Schlecht said. They’ve also stepped up efforts urging parents to be vigilant about where their kids are and who they’re with — even when the young people resist. "If we could change one thing, we’d challenge parents to make that extra phone call," Schlecht said. Added Glenna Stiles, the school’s dean: "If anything, kids need more parenting in high school than anywhere else," she said. Administrators across Jackson County urged parents and the public to remember that figures in the Healthy Teens survey are not indictments of individual schools. The statistics reflect broader social concerns, noted Ken Kigel, an Ashland High vice principal. "Kids are a reflection of their community," Kigel said. "It’s not just a school issue." About this study The Oregon Healthy Teens Study is conducted annually among one-third of eighth- and 11th-grade students across the state. It’s designed to provide data to identify risks to the health of young people and guide action for health. This year’s survey, which is anonymous and voluntary, was conducted in spring 2005 using a random sample of about 8,800 eighth-graders and about 8,100 11th-graders from 165 schools in Oregon. Organizers recognize the common fear that young people won’t answer honestly. Carin Niebuhr, director of the Jackson County Commission on Children and Families, said that research shows most young people are truthful when answering anonymous health surveys. Still, data are edited to weed out students who don’t take the survey seriously. Of the more than 17,000 surveys from participating students last year, 511, or 3 percent, were excluded because they exhibited inconsistent response patterns or dubious responses, organizers said. For more information, e-mail Renee Boyd at the state Department of Human Services Center for Health Statistics at [email protected] Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail Shedding light on teens ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Salvia Divinorum Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s