School Board gets alcohol abuse grant; says binge drinking a problem in Boca

Binge drinking is a problem in Palm Beach County, according to Alison Adler, District Chief of Safety and Learning Environment for the Safe Schools Institute.

She singled out Boca Raton and Jupiter as areas where teen binge drinking is greatest in the county.

Addressing this issue, school board members recently approved a $2 million grant from the US Department of Education, spread over a three-year cycle.

However, board member Debra Robinson expressed concern over abuse education programs not reaching all students, in particular minorities.

“We need to do all we can to decrease alcohol and other substance abuse. The problem is when I look at the data, who takes advantage of the program is honestly predominately white. Is there a bias?” she asked.

Robinson said, “I’d be surprised if I saw 85 to 90 percent of all alcohol instances on campus were white children. I don’t think it’s unique to any subgroup. I’m concerned with the bias of referral. I don’t see a representative sampling. Let’s delve into why black students are not taking advantage of this, unless the statistics show there’s not a problem with the community on campuses.”

Superintendent Art Johnson, a former principal at a Boca Raton high school, said alcohol use is “definitely a problem among white students.”

“The availability of a vehicle and money is a factor. In the mornings there were a lot of incidents called Breakfast Clubs where they would drink a keg or six-pack of beer and come to school intoxicated,” he said.

Adler said there is no bias.

“We are offering alternatives to suspension and encourage all schools. Only 34 percent of students are taking it up,” she said. “This grant targets binge drinking and it’s a problem in Palm Beach County and predominantly in Boca Raton and Jupiter.”

Johnson added, “It’s predominantly a white issue with binge drinking because of the wealth factor. They have the means and the opportunity to take advantage of it.”

The grant will provide prevention services to four selected high schools as well as the development of technology-based staff development. The design and implementation will be replicated for use by other schools. Program elements include:

• Development of a Youth Council and Strategic Planning Team;

• Implementation of Class Action, a science-based model alcohol prevention program including curriculum, training, materials, payment for substitutes; partnering with Hanley Center;

• Social norms marketing;

• Staff development;

• Underage Drinking Town Hall meetings; and

• Continuation, support, and training for the Alternative to Suspension program FACE IT, a family educational substance abuse program for students and parents.
Board members said measurement tools will include: pre and post surveys, focus groups, implementation records, and satisfaction surveys.

Boca Raton News