Study: Addictions burden school budgets

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Smoking, alcohol and drug addiction will add an estimated $41 billion to the expense of elementary and secondary education this year, according to a study, released Wednesday, which calculated the costs of injuries, property damage, counseling, teacher turnover and other factors.

"Drugs and alcohol have infested our schools and threaten our children and their ability to learn and develop their talents," said Joseph Califano, former secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, which released the study.

"Parents raise hell and refuse to send their kids to classrooms infested with asbestos. Yet every day they ship their children off to schools riddled with illegal drugs. When parents feel as strongly about drugs in our schools as they do about asbestos, we will have drug-free schools."

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The report -- called "Malignant Neglect: Substance Abuse and America's Schools" -- found a "complete failure" on the part of schools and parents to achieve the National Education Goals set by Congress in 1994. That legislation sought to make America's schools "safe, disciplined and alcohol- and drug-free" with significant "parental participation" by 2000.

Each year, according to the report, 13.2 million students between the ages of 12 and 17 become new users of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. It found that early use is not usually a reflection of one-time experimentation. For example, 83 percent of all students who said they have gotten drunk at least once said they are still getting drunk in the 12th grade. And 86 percent of youngsters who said they tried smoking at least once continue to smoke in the 12th grade.

Drugs and alcohol abuse in school is a problem exacerbated by all sides -- parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders -- blaming one another, instead of working together, the report concluded.

"It is time for each of us to stop looking out the window and start looking in the mirror," Califano said.

The report warned against the over-reliance on anti-drug courses to combat the problem, saying such classes needed to be engaging and a part of a student's curriculum each year to be effective. The report calls for greater participation between schools, parents, teachers and local governments in combating the drug, smoking and alcohol problems.

The report is the product of six years of analysis, examining projects and schools in 26 states.

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Center On Addiction and Substance Abuse

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