|
Highlights
from Communities of Concern around the country…
AND Tips for Parents
Fall 2005
 WELCOME
TO NEW SCHOOLS The Greater Houston
Community of Concern is pleased
to welcome 2 new schools—First Baptist Academy
and Dulles High School. 
E-LEARNING DURING
RED RIBBON WEEK (October
23- 31, 2005). The School whose parents and students
turn in the most “Certificates” from
the ELearning course will be awarded copies of
the Parent’s Guide for every family in the
school up to 500 booklets. Make it easy—your
school Webmaster can insert a hot link to www.thecommunityofconcern.org.
(Certificates earned from 9/1-10/31 are valid.)
Join the fun, educate yourself and start early!
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE
STEERING COMMITTEE which has been meeting
for 2 years on a regular basis planning events
and hosting speakers to educate parents, students
and schools. Distinguished speakers in 2004-05
included Dr. John Sargent, Pete Hinojosa, Ruben
Gonzalez, Hanifa Haji, Harris County Assistant
District Attorneys Kelley Siegler and Paul Doyle,
and Dr. Jay Resh.
 MARK
YOUR CALENDAR! Steering Committee Meetings
for 2005-06 will be held at River Oaks Baptist
School in the Fellowship Hall from 8:15-10:30—Monday,
September 12, 2005; Thursday, November 10, 2005;
Thursday, January 19, 2006, Thursday, March 2,
2006.
BEST PRACTICES.
Here are a few of the practices Community
of Concern schools are using to keep the
spotlight on drug and alcohol education: reordering
books every year and distributing them to all
families, creating school COC web pages that include
local and national resources, integrating the
E-Learning course into the curriculum, bringing
in drug and alcohol speakers on a regular basis
to talk with students and parents, identifying
a COC representative for each class, and playing
an active role on the Steering Committee.
TEXAS GOVERNOR SIGNS
NEW UNDERAGE DRINKING LAW Governor
Rick Perry recently signed House Bill 1357 which
will result in an automatic six-month driver’s
license suspension or denial of a new license
for six months for any adult (other than a parent,
guardian or spouse) who is convicted of providing
alcohol to a person under age 21. Repeat offenders
are subject to having their licenses suspended
for a year. The new legislation is on top of current
penalties of up to $4000 and up to one year in
jail.
FIRST LADY ANITA PERRY
COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
OF CHILDREN through her participation
in the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol
Free initiative, a national coalition of governor’s
spouses, federal agencies and public and private
organizations coming together to prevent the use
of alcohol by children 9 to 15. The Leadership
Weekly Update provides comprehensive coverage
of nationwide prevention efforts:
www.alcoholfreechildren.org
HOUSTON PROCLAIMS “COMMUNITY
OF CONCERN DAY” Mayor of the City
of Houston Bill White recognized and honored the
Greater Houston Area Community of Concern
schools as they gathered for their 3rd annual
Leadership Symposium by proclaiming March 9, 2005,
as “Community of Concern Day”
in Houston. A flag was also flown over the State
House in Austin on this day.
TEXANS STANDING TALL
is a statewide partnership of schools, law enforcement
and prevention agencies combating underage alcohol,
tobacco and other drug use through changing attitudes,
access and regulations: Members include education,
alcohol/other drug prevention agencies, advocacy
groups, service and faith organizations, youth
leadership groups, business and law enforcement.
www.texansstandingtall.com.
RED RIBBON WEEK
(October 23-31) Check out ideas for promoting
drug-free and violence-free lifestyles among youth
in your community:
www.tcada.state.tx.us/redribbon.
UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION—
A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Mimi Fleury, President of the Community
of Concern, was named to the NIH/NIAAA
Steering Committee on Underage Drinking
Research and Prevention. The group includes
20 members with broad and varied expertise in
child and adolescent development, neuroscience,
genetics, prevention policy, and alcohol research.
NIAAA Director  Ting-Kai
Li, MD said, “Underage drinking is a complex
and serious public health challenge. The collective
capabilities of these leaders will help take our
thinking to new levels as we continue to work
towards science-based strategies in prevention
to safeguard the health of young people.”
www.niaaa.nih.
EDUCATION EXCELLENCE AWARD
The Caron Foundation, a non-profit organization
committed to providing quality chemical dependency
treatment programs, awarded the Community
of Concern their Award for Educational
Excellence in June 2005.
FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL COC FORMED
IN MASSACHUSETTS
18 public school districts celebrated their partnership
this spring. On March 23, 2005, Dr. Marisa Silveri,
a neuroscientist from Harvard Medical School joined
Prevention Specialist Beth Kane Davidson and Mimi
Fleury as keynote speakers to hundreds of parents
in Duxbury, MA. Principal John Porter summed it
up. “We ARE the Community of Concern.
Without parental support our efforts will fail.
We are in this for the long haul. We hope you
are too.”
STATE OF MARYLAND SENDS “PARENTS’
GUIDE” TO HIGH SCHOOL PARENTS
The Office of the State of Maryland’s First
Lady Kendel Ehrlich and Dr. Nancy Grasmick, Superintendent
of the Maryland State Department of Education,
provided copies of the Guide to all parents of
juniors and seniors making Maryland the first
state to provide such statewide educational support
to parents through the Community of Concern.
TOGETHER
KEEPING YOUTH ALCOHOL & DRUG FREE
METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON DC
SCHOOLS TAKE A STAND
The following statement was signed by 45 school
heads and the President of the National Association
of Independent Schools and was published in The
Washington Post, The Washington Times and The
Gazettes:
|
We, the undersigned heads of the Washington
Metropolitan Area Community of Concern
schools and organizations, stand together
in our belief that our students harm themselves,
their families, our schools and our communities
when they engage in the illegal use of alcohol,
tobacco or other drugs. We are committed
to working together with parents, students
and other schools:
- To educate our entire community about
current scientific findings—that
underage drinking, smoking and drug use
can adversely and permanently affect the
physical, psychological and emotional
development of adolescents.
- To share in the responsibility of requiring,
promoting and modeling safe, ethical and
legal behavior in regard to alcohol and
drug use.
- To provide and support social activities
that are alcohol and drug free.
- To provide or recommend counseling services
wherever needed.
We expect:
- All enrolled families to be knowledgeable
about their school’s prevention policy
on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use
as laid out in the school handbook and
to support the rules of the school and
the laws of the state.
- All parents to honor the school’s
substance abuse policy when sponsoring
private off-campus parties.
- All students to be accountable for their
behavior and answerable to their own school
policies on and off-campus.
- All schools to inform each other of
students who are involved in alcohol,
tobacco or other drug use while visiting
another school’s campus or school-sponsored
event.
|
SCIENCE ON YOUR SIDE
Ask the experts...
We asked Linda Spear, PhD, Distinguished Professor,
Department of Psychology and Center for Developmental
Psychobiology, Binghamton University, NY: Are
Europeans able to teach their children to drink
responsibly? Her response was: “Research
shows that learning to drink at home even in a
culture that discourages drunkenness does not
offer notable protection against the excessive
use of alcohol by adolescents. For example, in
France, most youth are first exposed to alcohol
at meals or celebrations within a family setting.
However, by the time they are 16-17 years old
more of their drinking is with friends rather
than family (Institut de Recherches Scientifiques
sur Les Boissons [IREB] Survey, 2001). 9% of kids
aged 13-14 and 66% of late teens report that they
have been drunk one or more times, and this drunkenness
typically occurs when they are out drinking with
friends. Thus, in this culture, initiation of
alcohol use within a family setting does not appear
to protect against excessive drinking by youth
when they are out with their peers.
Why should we be concerned
about underage drinking or other drug use?
- Alcohol is the #1 drug of choice for children
and adolescents. Nearly a third of all youth
begin drinking before age 13. 40% of those who
begin to drink at 15 will become alcohol dependent
at some point in their lives. (NIH)
- Kids are using marijuana at an earlier age.
In 2003, 69% of new users were younger than
18.
- Regular use of marijuana has been shown to
be associated with poor academic performance.
- Marijuana has serious harmful effects on the
skills needed to drive safely: alertness, the
ability to concentrate and to react quickly.
These effects can last several hours after smoking.
(Office of National Drug Control Policy/NIDA)
PARENTING TOOLS
We’re parents, not pals. Ask these important
questions when they are planning to go out:
- Who will they be with? Where are they going?
When will the gettogether end?
- Who will be the supervising parents—have
you spoken with them? Do you feel assured there
will be no alcohol or drugs?
- Have you selected your code phrase (e.g. “I
have a headache…I lost my contact lens”)
that your child can use as a cue for you to
come and pick them up anytime, no questions.
- Will you be available in case your teen needs
to be picked up early?
For more suggestions please visit www.theantidrug.com.
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY
Parents, students and schools working together
can make Houston a safer place by developing a
“united front” by:
- Encouraging our schools to create and sign
a Common Statement pledging to work together
to help students avoid alcohol, tobacco and
other drug use (see “Schools Take a Stand”
on p.2). •
- Asking local convenience stores and restaurants
not to serve or sell alcohol to minors and deciding
not to patronize those that serve minors.
- Planning alcohol-free events at the schools
and in our homes and being present and visible
as the chaperones.
- Educating ourselves and talking to others
about the legal and other consequences of underage
drinking or drug use.
You have a resource at your fingertips.
For more TIPS and information refer to the booklet,
“A Parent’s Guide for the Prevention
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use”
or the website: www.thecommunityofconcern.org
www.thecommunityofconcern.org
Each of the 6 sections takes only
10 minutes to complete. Whether you’re a
parent, educator or student you’ll find helpful
tips about: Early Concerns • Signs &
Symptoms • Negative Consequences Effects
on the Brain • Communication • Social
Scene
E-LEARNING: ONE MILLION STRONG!
Over a million hits since its launch. Join
the fun and try the course, educate yourself and
earn booklets for all of the families in your
school. See page 1 for details.
|
UPDATED BOOKLET
6 nationally prominent neuroscientists
have teamed up to bring us more information
in our new “Brain 101” section.
Don’t miss the exciting news!
|
|
SHARE THE NEWS!!!
Additional copies of this newsletter
may be downloaded from the Community
of Concern website at:
www.thecommunityofconcern.org
|
|
Community of Concern
c/o Georgetown Prep
10900 Rockville Pike
No. Bethesda, MD 20852
Houston Chapter Peggy Rathmell, Chairman
coc_houston@yahoo.com
|
