$500,000 School Grant Will Fight Drug Abuse

The Fullerton Joint Union High School District will be getting $500,000 in grant money to help prevent drug abuse.

The district will receive $100,000 a year for five years from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Justice Department’s Drug-Free Communities Support Program, said Ken Stichter, assistant superintendent of educational services. The first check has arrived.

“Substance abuse is an issue for everybody, not just the schools, not just the homes, but the whole community,” Stichter said.

As part of its fight against drugs, he said, the district will start a program known as Teens Knock Out Drugs Project, or TKO. The program will focus on prevention, intervention and treatment of drugs, including inhalants and tobacco.

The program’s goals include:

* Reducing substance abuse 25% by June 2003;

* Sharing substance-abuse prevention strategies that can benefit other communities;

* Increasing the effectiveness of activities to prevent youth substance abuse through cooperation with other agencies.

The grant, Stichter said, also will help fund Communities United for Furthering Safety, an effort by city, police and community groups in Fullerton and Buena Park.