Countywide : $1.3 Million Pegged for Drug Program

Orange County will receive a $1.3-million grant from the Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice Planning to put together the most comprehensive anti-drug program ever seen in the county’s schools.

The grant is part of $20 million that the state is doling out to all counties to create anti-drug and alcohol programs aimed primarily at fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.

Officials of the county Department of Education said the grant is intended to bring together law enforcement agencies, schools and private groups--anyone who has ever offered a drug prevention program--to coordinate a plan to prevent young people from becoming involved with drugs and alcohol.

“This is an extremely unusual effort,” said Sharon Paul, a director for the county Education Department. “We’ve had a number of sporadic programs, but this will have a long-term impact.”

She said county schools Supt. Robert Peterson will be responsible for the countywide plan, which must be drawn up by Dec. 31 and put into effect in 1990, she said.

Orange County does not necessarily have a bigger drug and alcohol abuse problem than other areas, but neither is it immune, Paul cautioned.

“The incidents of alcohol use in young people is a pretty major issue for us to deal with, and based on the number of kids getting killed in auto accidents, it’s very upsetting,” she said.

The program will be unveiled at a news conference today, which will be attended by Peterson, Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters, and Tim Mullins, Orange County drug administrator.