STA's Substance Abuse Culture?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The emphasis on the honor code comes from the school, top down, and judging from this thread (look at the title ), STA is lax in how they deal with drugs/alcohol.

You either only read the title or have reading comprehension issues (are you stoned?).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Caught, the issue is when were they caught. There seems to be whether or not the school should have realized these kids had a problem. But when they were actually caught with drugs they were kicked out.

I don't know of any school that would kick kids out if they had a suspicion the kids were using. They would probably be sued. OP's concern was that the school should have intervened with some supports, and maybe that is true. But once it became a disciplinary issue, they were out of there.

As for people graduating with drug problems, I don't think its common but I do think it happens at every single school in this area.

Well, it says something about the culture at STA and it's not flattering. The other schools we are considering for DS are Exeter, Andover, Deerfield, etc. and those schools have an honor code where students have to report drug use by peers or face expulsion themselves. Granted these are primarily boarding but STA also has a boarding component.

False. The honor codes cover cheating, lying, stealing and don't require students to report drug use. If they are present while it is going on they can be disciplined, but that's to avoid the "I was there but not smoking" line of defense. Lots of drugs in boarding schools, even the top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't notice your child is stoned, why would a teacher or a coach? It's not like being drunk, with the tell-tale signs of slurred words; stumbling gait; odor of booze. Students and parents should take responsibility and not try to slough everything off on schools.

Most upper school students at STA spend more time at school, sport activities, & other school-related events than time at home. I dunno blood shot eyes, giggling, slurred speech, stinking of pot, lacking the ability to comprehend, problems with memorization, baggie of weed visible from their khakis' pocket...if my kid's behavior seems off to me, a classroom teacher who also sees him daily would likely recognize that something is wrong and would guess he's probably stoned.

Yes, except for every "symptom" you just described except for "smelling like weed" and having a baggie visible in your khakis" describes the general affect of a lot of ADD/ADHD kids. Some of whom are at STA or other schools. So, again, it would be difficult to tell--and they could smell like it because they are wearing patchouli oil, or because someone near them was doing it. It is a difficult for a school to say something unless the kid is caught red handed.

Okay. What's wrong with after class asking a student if they are okay, if you have noticed abnormal behavior?

My DD (at the time, a junior in upper school) told me that a teacher/counselor at the school gave her a heads up: stay away from Ali, she has a reputation around here of using drugs, you don't want to give the impression that you do also by hanging out with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't notice your child is stoned, why would a teacher or a coach? It's not like being drunk, with the tell-tale signs of slurred words; stumbling gait; odor of booze. Students and parents should take responsibility and not try to slough everything off on schools.

Most upper school students at STA spend more time at school, sport activities, & other school-related events than time at home. I dunno blood shot eyes, giggling, slurred speech, stinking of pot, lacking the ability to comprehend, problems with memorization, baggie of weed visible from their khakis' pocket...if my kid's behavior seems off to me, a classroom teacher who also sees him daily would likely recognize that something is wrong and would guess he's probably stoned.

Yes, except for every "symptom" you just described except for "smelling like weed" and having a baggie visible in your khakis" describes the general affect of a lot of ADD/ADHD kids. Some of whom are at STA or other schools. So, again, it would be difficult to tell--and they could smell like it because they are wearing patchouli oil, or because someone near them was doing it. It is a difficult for a school to say something unless the kid is caught red handed.

Okay. What's wrong with after class asking a student if they are okay, if you have noticed abnormal behavior?

My DD (at the time, a junior in upper school) told me that a teacher/counselor at the school gave her a heads up: stay away from Ali, she has a reputation around here of using drugs, you don't want to give the impression that you do also by hanging out with her.

I can only imagine how insane "Ali's" family would go if they found out about that message -- which is very likely, given teenagers. ("Why don't you ever hang out with me any more?" "Mr. Smith warned me away and said you were a druggie.") It's just not that simple. The first example: "are you okay -- you seemed tired/out of it in class today" is something that does happen at every school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't notice your child is stoned, why would a teacher or a coach? It's not like being drunk, with the tell-tale signs of slurred words; stumbling gait; odor of booze. Students and parents should take responsibility and not try to slough everything off on schools.

Most upper school students at STA spend more time at school, sport activities, & other school-related events than time at home. I dunno blood shot eyes, giggling, slurred speech, stinking of pot, lacking the ability to comprehend, problems with memorization, baggie of weed visible from their khakis' pocket...if my kid's behavior seems off to me, a classroom teacher who also sees him daily would likely recognize that something is wrong and would guess he's probably stoned.

Yes, except for every "symptom" you just described except for "smelling like weed" and having a baggie visible in your khakis" describes the general affect of a lot of ADD/ADHD kids. Some of whom are at STA or other schools. So, again, it would be difficult to tell--and they could smell like it because they are wearing patchouli oil, or because someone near them was doing it. It is a difficult for a school to say something unless the kid is caught red handed.

Okay. What's wrong with after class asking a student if they are okay, if you have noticed abnormal behavior?

My DD (at the time, a junior in upper school) told me that a teacher/counselor at the school gave her a heads up: stay away from Ali, she has a reputation around here of using drugs, you don't want to give the impression that you do also by hanging out with her.

I can only imagine how insane "Ali's" family would go if they found out about that message -- which is very likely, given teenagers. ("Why don't you ever hang out with me any more?" "Mr. Smith warned me away and said you were a druggie.") It's just not that simple. The first example: "are you okay -- you seemed tired/out of it in class today" is something that does happen at every school.

How are you so sure that this is something that does happen at every school. From reading this thread it sounds to me that most teachers would avoid becoming involved and not asking "are you okay -- you seemed tired/out of it in class today," comment, particularly if they suspect the student is loaded.

[Anonymous]

@PP 10:15 -- My experience of St. Albans is based on more than "reading this thread." Not every drug/alcohol issue is public on DCUM or goes via the disciplinary route as opposed to being handled therapeutically. There's a lot of misinformation in this thread, whether it is some idea of a supposed "zero tolerance" policy; or the numbers of incidents; or the specific discipline involved in specific incidents or the reasons for that discipline.

There are also some good posts that do more to explain the complexity of the issues at St. Albans or elsewhere.

I would boil things down to a few points:
--St. Albans does have drug and alcohol education;
--The school invites students to ask for and get help outside of the disciplinary process through the chaplains and counselors;
--STA takes illegal drug use, in particular, very seriously, and being caught on campus doing drugs may well result in temporary or permanent separation from the school;
--STA is a day school, so parents will still probably be in the best position to know what is going on with their child than any given teacher/coach who sees the student for between 50-120 minutes per day.

These are important issues, though, and I'm not trying to be dismissive of parental concern -- it is something we all worry about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:@PP 10:15 -- My experience of St. Albans is based on more than "reading this thread." Not every drug/alcohol issue is public on DCUM or goes via the disciplinary route as opposed to being handled therapeutically. There's a lot of misinformation in this thread, whether it is some idea of a supposed "zero tolerance" policy; or the numbers of incidents; or the specific discipline involved in specific incidents or the reasons for that discipline.

There are also some good posts that do more to explain the complexity of the issues at St. Albans or elsewhere.

I would boil things down to a few points:
--St. Albans does have drug and alcohol education;
--The school invites students to ask for and get help outside of the disciplinary process through the chaplains and counselors;
--STA takes illegal drug use, in particular, very seriously, and being caught on campus doing drugs may well result in temporary or permanent separation from the school;
--STA is a day school, so parents will still probably be in the best position to know what is going on with their child than any given teacher/coach who sees the student for between 50-120 minutes per day.

These are important issues, though, and I'm not trying to be dismissive of parental concern -- it is something we all worry about.

Thank you for your insight. Since you are an expert on STA's drug policy and education, please explain how "uncaught" drug useage of boarders is handled? You state that parents are probably the best to know what is going on with their child, dorm masters are in essence functioning as these boys parents during the school term. Are they adequately aware that a boy may have a drug/alcohol problem and willing to encourage him to seek help or is their role just to get involved if they catch them in the act?

[Anonymous]

Why so angry, PP 11:45? Multiple posters have talked about the chaplains and counselors at STA -- that is the avenue for faculty (in or out of the dorm) or the students themselves, or their friends, to report concerns about drug use, whether by boarding or day students. If under the "where there's smoke there's fire" analogy the warning smoke is the sweet smell of weed, bad luck: past experience shows that the student will be asked to leave for the year or permanently.

The school sent out a letter to parents this year about its drug and alcohol policies; I suggest you get a copy and it will probably answer your concerns more than anonymous posters (me included) on DCUM. Maybe get a friend to ask for it if you're afraid it will suggest you have a drug-using child.

I'm out of my teenage years but generally my recollection is that most of our alcohol/drug use was to have fun; break rules; and not because we were addicted. So for every student with an addiction today I will give you many more who are bored teens looking to have a little risky fun -- if they do it on campus they are more bored and looking for more risk. If they get caught, they know the consequences and it's not unfair to hold them to 'em. For students with a real medical problem, that is sad, but getting caught and disciplined might also be the first step in the family recognizing a problem and acting upon it.

Drugs and alcohol use are significant issues for teens in our society; we need to all take responsibility for education and then dealing with problems when they arise.

Peace out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why so angry, PP 11:45? Multiple posters have talked about the chaplains and counselors at STA -- that is the avenue for faculty (in or out of the dorm) or the students themselves, or their friends, to report concerns about drug use, whether by boarding or day students. If under the "where there's smoke there's fire" analogy the warning smoke is the sweet smell of weed, bad luck: past experience shows that the student will be asked to leave for the year or permanently.

The school sent out a letter to parents this year about its drug and alcohol policies; I suggest you get a copy and it will probably answer your concerns more than anonymous posters (me included) on DCUM. Maybe get a friend to ask for it if you're afraid it will suggest you have a drug-using child.

I'm out of my teenage years but generally my recollection is that most of our alcohol/drug use was to have fun; break rules; and not because we were addicted. So for every student with an addiction today I will give you many more who are bored teens looking to have a little risky fun -- if they do it on campus they are more bored and looking for more risk. If they get caught, they know the consequences and it's not unfair to hold them to 'em. For students with a real medical problem, that is sad, but getting caught and disciplined might also be the first step in the family recognizing a problem and acting upon it.

Drugs and alcohol use are significant issues for teens in our society; we need to all take responsibility for education and then dealing with problems when they arise.

Peace out.

All caught smoking are not historically asked to leave for the year or permanently. All extremely drunk or vomiting or passing out at dances or getting rough physically are not disciplined. I'm surprised this thread was started. Landon dance thread:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/101097.page#825378

[Anonymous]

Dear Landon Parents:

I am writing to you at this time to describe the details of a disturbing event that occurred at Landon this past weekend. On Saturday night (4/10), Landon hosted a dance on campus. The event, called the Landon Mixer, was organized and sponsored by our Multicultural Student Alliance (MSA).

Unfortunately, this event was marred by some incidents. Several parents have inquired about what took place. We understand and appreciate that concern, and this message is to inform you of what actually occurred. We wanted to wait until I could sort out the facts before sending this along and we appreciate your patience.

The dance, scheduled to run from 7:00 to 11:00p.m., was closed at 10:00p.m. At around 9:30p.m., an ambulance was called to campus to care for and transport a student who was determined to be intoxicated. Shortly thereafter, a second ambulance was called for another student who was also intoxicated. This occurred just prior to 10 p.m. At that point, the dance was closed at the suggestion of the police officers that Landon had employed to provide security at the event. Parents of a third student were called to pick up their son who was also believed to be intoxicated. None of the students in question was a Landon student.

At 10:00 p.m., all students were asked to exit the gym, which they did without incident. For the next hour, many students were picked up by parents, while others drove themselves off campus. Having been alerted to the event by the ambulance calls, Montgomery County Police officers were on hand to administer Breathalyzer tests to student drivers prior to allowing them to exit the campus. This process resulted in a long back up of cars on campus. By 11:15p.m., campus was clear and all but a very small number of students had left. It is our understanding that the Police cited no drivers.

We want to apologize to our parents and students for the issues surrounding this event and, in particular, for not communicating the details of the event in advance. The MSA has sponsored dances in past years, and they have been notable for their low attendance. So much so, that there have been occasions on which the event has been cancelled. The extremely large student turnout to Saturday’s event took us by surprise and we regret that.

In hindsight, the scope of the invitation should have been limited. Too many students arrived at the dance expecting to attend. While those who gained admittance to the dance, were limited and adequately supervised, hundreds more were turned away. Undoubtedly, the forces of social networking and text messaging were at play Saturday night, resulting in a very widely publicized and surprisingly over-subscribed event. Also invitations were not restricted to a select number of schools, but were extended without limit. While this has been the practice for previous MSA sponsored dances, this is not an approach that we will sanction in the future.

Also, we want to apologize for the inappropriateness of some of the messaging that accompanied the communication and materials that promoted the event.

In light of the troubling aspects of what occurred on Saturday night, it is important to mention that the overwhelming majority of the students in attendance conducted themselves in very positive manner, behaving and socializing in appropriate ways. We trust that most of them enjoyed themselves and their time with friends.

We have learned a lot from this event, and will continue to review the manner in which we handle such events. There are important lessons to be taken for us, our peer schools, and for our students, as well.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this event and answer any questions or concerns you might have. Please feel free to contact me directly or reach out to Neil Phillips, Head of the Upper School.

With best regards

David M. Armstrong

CC. Neil Phillips

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents with sons attending STA's upper school, how bad is the drug and alcohol use culture? Is the school addressing or providing counseling to boys with apparent addictions? A few years ago several boys were immediately expelled after being caught using drugs. Is this the school's drug prevention program? Is there real support for the boys when an intervention is needed to help a friend or does the culture support looking the other way because of its zero-tolerance policy?

Please don't tell me to go ask admin.

Let's face it, we don't have any idea what percentage of kids at local schools are using alcohol or other drugs. Kids can't be sure what those outside their immediate social group are doing. Everybody as an anecdote. Or two. Or three. Nobody has real data. The recurrent speculation on this site and irl about which kids do the most drinking and/or partying is never going to be productive.

Your other questions can be answered, but not the first one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's face it, we don't have any idea what percentage of kids at local schools are using alcohol or other drugs. Kids can't be sure what those outside their immediate social group are doing. Everybody as an anecdote. Or two. Or three. Nobody has real data. The recurrent speculation on this site and irl about which kids do the most drinking and/or partying is never going to be productive.

Totally true. Thinking back to my own high school 20+ years ago (which was pretty similar to St A), I remember often being surprised to discover kids getting stoned on the weekends who I never would have suspected. And the parents and teachers certainly knew less than I did about who was doing what.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Everyone, thank you for your replies. After reading some of those Landon posts, my comprehension of the problem (whoa) increased.

The best that we can do is be observant, have open & ongoing dialogues with our son to keep him educated, get him treatment immediately if it becomes necessary. And, pray.