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2 districts require online drug class: Parents of Carroll, G-C kids in school activities must take program(Dallas Morning News, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Sep. 10--Two North Texas school districts are now requiring parents of children in extracurricular activities to take an alcohol and drug awareness program. The idea apparently is drawing interest from other school districts curious about a new way to deliver such a course online. The effort started with fanfare in the Southlake Carroll school district last year as 4,000 parents attended seminars before their kids could participate in band, choir, athletics and other groups. This year, Carroll is offering a substance abuse awareness course online. Carroll Senior High School principal Daniel Presley, who wrote the curriculum, said the program came about because parents "aren't always tuned in to what's going on with their kids." His wife, Julie Presley, is a Carroll computer teacher. She put the drug awareness program online and is delivering it via her longtime computer consulting business. Most Carroll parents whose children were in extracurricular activities in grades seven to 12 took the class last year. So only those new to the district or those whose first child is entering the seventh grade are required to take the online course. The effort has spread to neighboring Grapevine-Colleyville, where parents of about 2,000 students have used the new online program. Printouts of the course are available for those without computer access. McKinney ISD officials said they also are considering the program. They plan to present the idea to a district health subcommittee this fall. Dr. Presley said he was invited to give a presentation about the online program to area athletic directors last spring. He said as many as two dozen districts have expressed an interest in using it. "We're not really marketing it," he said. "But it's been well-received." Dr. Presley is to give Carroll ISD trustees an update about the program at their board meeting Monday night. Carroll ISD receives the program for free. Other districts pay a subscription fee based on the size of the district, up to a maximum of $3,500. Grapevine-Colleyville paid $3,000 for the program. On the Web site, www.psaas .org, parents read the curriculum and answer questions about alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, cocaine, "ecstasy," methamphetamine, steroids, heroin and inhalants, among other things. Dr. Presley said the curriculum is derived from information presented through Carroll substance abuse seminars last year. It was put online to be more convenient. The format also allows updates in content, such as warnings about new drug combinations like "cheese," which combines small amounts of heroin with crushed Tylenol PM tablets. "Many substance abuse problems unfold for teens behind doors that are never opened, in vehicles that are never searched and in backpacks that are never unzipped," a portion of the text reads. "All teens are capable of not telling the truth. Even the very best teen may be less than honest in certain situations." E-mail [email protected] and [email protected] Copyright (c) 2006, The Dallas Morning News Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |