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Study on our kids offers mixed results

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Drug and alcohol use among Laguna Beach Unified School District students has shown a decrease, but results from the latest California Healthy Kids survey still raised alarm with the high school principal.

The survey, conducted every two years by the California Department of Education and the California Department of Health Care Services, gathered responses from students in grades 5, 7, 9 and 11 on a variety of categories such as school safety, mental health and other factors that can influence learning.

Researchers from the nonprofit agency WestEd, which conducted the survey, gathered voluntary responses from 35,573 students in 105 schools throughout the state from fall 2013 through spring 2015.

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Among district students, Laguna Beach High juniors reported the largest decrease in drug and alcohol use in the 30 days before taking the survey — 45% compared with 54% recorded in the 2011-2013 period, according to a news release. The 45%, though, was still higher than the statewide average of 35% for the group.

“I’m not happy with those numbers,” Laguna Beach High Principal Chris Herzfeld said Wednesday. “It’s nice to see the downward trend, but I still think that is cause for concern.”

Drug and alcohol use among seventh-grade students at Thurston Middle School decreased from 14% in the previous two-year survey period to 6%, while Laguna Beach High freshmen reported a 1% decrease, to 21%.

District staff discussed the survey results with the Laguna Beach Police Department, continuing a joint prevention effort.

Herzfeld acknowledged that substance use is not a simple problem to solve.

“It’s more complicated than telling kids not to do drugs or alcohol,” Herzfeld said. “It’s developing a culture of making smart decisions ... getting kids engaged with after-school activities, sending messages through sports programs.”

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Some findings underscore the need for educators, prevention specialists, youth service providers and health agencies to focus on better meeting the social and emotional needs of youth, the release said.

For example, 38% of Laguna Beach High juniors reported feelings of chronic sadness or hopelessness — an increase from 32% in the previous survey — while 16% of juniors have seriously considered suicide, no change over 2011-13, according to the district.

Results in Laguna mirror statewide numbers related to social/emotional health. Two indicators of depression risk showed little change at disturbingly high levels, the report said.

Chronic sadness occurred among 26% of seventh-grade students and about 33% of ninth- and eleventh-grade students. Almost one-fifth of the high school students had seriously contemplated suicide.

“When children’s social and emotional health is compromised, it can create significant challenges leading to failure in school, inability to maintain friendships, and negative feelings about themselves,” Irene White, the district’s director of special education and student services, said in the release. “Using the data from the survey, we have been examining our current systems of support ... in response to those needs.”

Last year, Laguna Beach Unified hired a second elementary counselor and reassigned school psychologists to provide each school site with a full-time psychologist and at least one counselor. Elementary teachers have integrated social skills units into curriculum.

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Meanwhile, high school staff have implemented multiple methods aimed at steering students away from drug and alcohol use, Herzfeld said.

As an example, all students participate in an advisory period twice a week with an assigned teacher. The group discusses a range of topics including mental health, school safety and the effects of drug and alcohol use.

Laguna Beach High, in partnership with the nonprofit California Youth Services, also has a voluntary drug and alcohol testing program. It asks that parents and students co-sign agreements that the kids will be subject to screenings via urine samples, Herzfeld said. Results are sent to parents only, not the school.

California Youth Services, a Laguna Hills nonprofit, provides programs and services that address substance abuse, delinquent behavior and mental health struggles, according to the organization’s website.

Survey results also indicated that Laguna Beach Unified students generally perceive school as a very safe or safe place — 85% of fifth-graders; 90% of seventh-graders; 81% of freshmen; and 84% of juniors.

To access the state’s report, visit https://surveydata.wested.org/resources/Biennial_State_1315.pdf.

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District-specific results should be available to the public in November, the release said.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce

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