Red Ribbon Week-INFORMATION

A recent government report on America's children shows that violent crime, smoking, and heavy drinking among U.S. teenagers are all on the decline, Reuters reported July 18, 2003.

"Most people, about two-thirds, believe that crime is going up among America's children," said Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "The picture painted by this report, based on actual data, paints the opposite picture." According to the report released by the National Institutes of Health, the Census Bureau, and other agencies, victims reported 413,000 juvenile crimes in 2002, which translates into 17 violent crimes per 1,000 juveniles aged 12 to 17. "This is a 67-percent drop from the 1993 high, and the lowest rate recorded since the national victimization survey began in 1973," the report stated.

Exposure to secondhand smoke also fell, the report said, and fewer teens smoked. As recently as 1994, 88 percent of children ages 4 to 11 were exposed to secondhand smoke. The latest report found that rate had dropped to 64 percent. Daily smoking by youth dropped to the lowest rate since 1975, and heavy drinking among teens also declined.

However, in a recent 117-page report entitled "Malignant Neglect: Substance Abuse and America's Schools", which is the result of six years of analysis, surveys, and field investigations, including one hundred focus groups with students, teachers, parents and school administrators in public, private and parochial schools across the country, it was noted that substance abuse and addiction will add at least $41 billion -- 10 percent -- to the costs of elementary and secondary education this year. This estimate reflects costs due to class disruption and violence, special education and tutoring, teacher turnover, truancy, children left behind, student assistance programs, property damage, injury and counseling. This is a staggering cost.

What can we do about this as educators? National Red Ribbon Week will be October 25-31, 2005 and last year over 120 million Americans wore a Red Ribbon as a symbol of their commitment to healthy drug-free lifestyles. The enclosed Red Ribbons for your students and staff are provided to your school by the Kern County Substance Abuse Prevention Education (KCSAPE) Partnership. You can print additional materials with plans and information for Red Ribbon Week activities by accessing the local website for Kern County Community Action Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse www.caadaa.org. I am proud to be involved with CAADAA and I am committed to make this a valuable resource for school staff, parents and law enforcement.

Please pass the enclosed CAADAA flyer on to a PTA representative with details on how to access Red Ribbon activities and substance abuse prevention information targeted to parents. I hope that you will also take time to pass on this information to a school site coordinator to help plan Red Ribbon Week activities that will send a strong message to students to resist drugs, tobacco and alcohol. As we all know, a one week-a-year emphasis on helping students to be drug-free will not on its own lead to a decline in drug use among youths. So, we want to encourage you and your school community to join together with local service groups, interested community members, parent teacher organizations and others to stay focused on this issue throughout the year.

Another way to extend the impact of Red Ribbon Week is to start a Friday Night Live/Club Live, Friday Night Live Kids (FNL/CL/FNL Kids) program at your school. FNL/CL/FNL Kids activities focus on positive alternatives to drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The KCSAPE Partnership pays a semester stipend of $300 to support school–site FNL/CL/FNL Kids advisors. For more information contact Adrienne Buckle, Prevention Services Coordinator/FNL, (661) 868-8306.

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