Scotts Valley High School drinking scrutinized by grand jury

An investigation by the Santa Cruz County civil grand jury into alcohol use by Scotts Valley High School students recommended that the district foster more alcohol and drug intervention, rather than rely on a strict zero-tolerance policy.
“A zero-tolerance policy does not solve the problem of alcohol abuse among the students of Scotts Valley and does not have long-term impact on prevention,” the report concludes.
The grand jury, made up of 20 citizens in the county, reviewed statistics from the California Healthy Kids Survey and determined that alcohol is the drug of choice by Scotts Valley High teens.
The percentage of fifth graders in the district who had used alcohol increased from 25 percent in 2004 to 40 percent in 2007 while the percentage of 11th graders who got sick from alcohol increased from 41 percent to 50 percent over the same time.
The study recommends the district provide more leadership in the community on teen drinking issues and that school policies should include a suspension reduction policy linked to intervention programs.
Peer-to-peer counseling and conflict resolution were also recommended as a way to help students.
“I know that we have had peer training before,” board president Sue Roth said. “I do think that would be something to investigate. In my experience, kids listen to kids best, so I think we should look at that.”
The report also concludes that a school resource officer and full-time counselor would benefit the high school.
“I do believe we need as many counselors as we can get,” Roth said, mentioning that when the Scotts Valley Police Department has an officer available, the school will pay for the SRO.
Not mentioned in the report is the reality of severe budget cuts in the public school system.
“The financial constraints we are under are horrendous,” Roth said.
The study investigated the district’s drinking statistics, student wellness policies and school prevention and intervention practices. The district is required to respond to the report by Oct. 1.
At a glance
The Grand Jury report is available online at: www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/grandjury/index.htm