EXTRA CONTENT: Survey shows drug, alcohol in tobacco use in Corbin schools generally on the decline

Read the results from the 2010 KIP survey by clicking here.

With only a few notable exceptions, data shows fewer Corbin Independent School System student are using or have tried illegal drugs now than four years ago.

The results are part of a comprehensive, anonymous survey given to all of the school district’s sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth graders biannually called the Kentucky Incentives for Prevention Survey (KIP).

Preliminary results were released last week during the monthly meeting of the Corbin Community Coalition – a group of local educators, civic and business leaders formed to combat use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco by area youth.

Mark Daniels, Director of Support Services for the Corbin Independent School District, said he plans to study the 2010 KIP results more in depth in the near future, but his initial impressions are positive.

"The vast majority of the kids aren’t doing these things," Daniels said. "When you see little trends here or there, you want to curb that as much as you can, but overall things aren’t too bad."

KIP surveys are given to students, in the classroom, and offer a chance for school administrators and public policy makers to assess and analyze trends regarding use of illicit substances by school-age children. The surveys also provide information about family life, students’ perceptions of drug use among peers and school safety.
Some highlights from the 2010 surveys for Corbin Independent Schools:

• Marijuana use has risen across the board. The number of high school seniors who had never tried the drug fell from 72 percent in 2006 to 69 percent this year. Eight graders that abstained from ever using pot held steady at 93 percent. Nearly no sixth graders had ever tried it. But among sophomores, the increase was prevalent. Eighty-six percent reported never trying marijuana in 2006. This year, 73 percent said they had tried the drug, a rise of 13 percent.

• Fewer students in 10th and 12th grades had tried cocaine or crack as opposed to 2006 (97 percent for each). No sixth graders had tried the drugs. Ninety-nine percent of eighth graders had never tried them.

• Use of smokeless tobacco fell among all age groups except sophomores. Thirty-seven percent of sophomores said they had used smokeless tobacco at least once in the 2010 results as opposed to only 25 percent in 2006.

• Cigarette use is generally on the decline. In 2006, 53 percent of high school seniors said they had smoked at least one cigarette in their life, 30 percent for sophomores, 28 percent for eighth graders and 9 percent of six graders. In the 2010 results, the numbers for seniors had increased four percent, but declined eight percent for sophomores and six percent for sixth graders. Eighth graders increased by 15 percent.

• Fewer students are experimenting with alcohol. Across all age groups, the number of students that had ever used alcohol had declined. Also, for those who have used alcohol, the frequency of use has diminished. In the 2010 results, the number of seniors that had never used was 35 percent, up from 31 percent in 2006. For 10th graders, 48 percent, up six percent from 2006. For eight graders, 75 percent, up 10 percent from 2006. Sixth graders: 86 percent, up a percent from 2006.

• Few Corbin students ever try harder drugs like methamphetamine, prescription painkillers like Oxycontin or have tried inhalants. Use for all those drugs across all age groups was negligible.

KIP results from 2006 are important because it was the most recent data used by the school district’s Board of Education in crafting a random drug testing policy designed to target more students. Since 1998, Corbin High School has randomly tested student athletes for common drugs. But in 2007, citing concerns over increases in drug use among students, the board expanded that policy to cover students who participate in any extracurricular activities, or who drive to school. The increased testing was funded by a federal grant for about $125,000. The school system contracted with an outside company to perform the drug testing.

Daniels said "a few" students were caught by the random tests, but argued that testing was intended to be more of a deterrent to drug use than a way to police students and punish offenders. For one year following passage of the new policy, the school system did not engage in expanded testing because it was reworked to satisfy legal concerns.

Daniels said the grant money has run out and the district is back to a more basic approach with testing, conducting it less often on fewer students.

The KIP surveys break down all answers by frequency, age, geographic locations and other factors.

KIP results also give interesting statistics about students’ family situations and how they view the safety of the schools they attend.

Only about 50 percent of the school districts seniors live with both of their biological parents. Of the students surveyed, an average of 57 percent live with both parents.

About 32 percent of the students surveyed say they participate in free and reduced lunch programs.
Fascinating are how students view their own schools.

At Corbin, nearly all students view the school they attend as "safe" or "very safe." Feelings of safety are even broken down by areas of the school and times of day.

Few students worry about being victims of theft, verbal threats or physical threats or attacks at Corbin schools.
Daniels calls those perceptions "a big success."

"When you see some of the things going on at other school districts and on TV, you thing oh my gosh!," Daniels said. "I think it’s all about the culture and expectations that we lay down originally. When we get kids that come from another school district, for instance, they know they’ve entered a different environment. It’s a different type of attitude."

Daniels said he thinks more of a "private school mentality" pervades the school district. A premium is put on instructional time and distractions and unruliness are dealt with swiftly. He said having the Corbin Alternative School nearby and programs like "Watch Dogs," where fathers walk the halls at the Middle School to ensure safety, are helpful.

"We try to focus a lot on those programs," Daniels said. "It’s all tied together. If there are students that are causing a disruption in the classroom and your child is in that classroom, you are going to want something done about it. If Johnny’s being bad, he’s taking away all the instruction time just to deal with his behavior. If you can remove him from the situation, it allows more instruction to take place."

Daniels said the district is always looking for ways to address particular problems. He said a trend like increase in marijuana use would be evaluated. Corbin schools are part of the Coordinated School Health Model through the National School Boards Association along with three other districts in the state. He said the model calls for constant evaluation of existing policies and programs in order to "fill in gaps" where any exist.