The Mercer Island School District (MISD) released the results of its 2006-2007 Healthy Youth Survey last week, sparking concern among board members over teenage drinking and smoking, countered by applause for responsible driving choices.
According to the statewide survey, which was distributed to middle and high school students last fall, there has been a slight yet significant increase in the number of 12th graders who acknowledge smoking — both marijuana and tobacco — and drinking alcohol since the previous study in 2002. Yet the number of 10th graders using marijuana and alcohol declined (by 2.4 percent and .5 percent, respectively), which skews comprehensive conclusions.
“It’s a complex picture,” said Michael Power, MISD director of instruction and assessment. “The changes in [behavioral choices] between 10th and 12th graders shows that in some areas [high school students] are more mature, while in others they’re still taking chances.”
However, one positive trend turned board members’ furrowed brows into arcs of delighted surprise during their June 7 discussion of the survey: The number of seniors who reported riding with a driver under the influence of alcohol has dropped by 14 percent since 2002, settling at 2.5 percent below the state average. The number of 10th graders who said they’d driven with someone who’d been drinking declined by 2.4 percent (8.9 percent below the state average).
Board members applauded the 2004 launch of Safe Rides, a program where youth can call a volunteer group of peers for a ride after drinking, for contributing to the welcome decline.
“Since Safe Rides was instituted, there are less kids — and the statistics hold out — getting into cars when somebody’s been drinking,” said board president Leslie Ferrell.
Safe Rides director Leanne Reel agreed that the program has been a great success.
“On average, we get three to 10 calls a night. I know how important Safe Rides is, and I could put the statistics together to prove it,” Reel said. “It’s been so well-received, and the kids know it’s not a taxi service.”
Piloted by seniors in 2004 as a way to minimize drunk driving on prom night, Safe Rides has been going strong ever since. The call-in service — funded and run entirely by volunteer students and parents — is offered every Saturday night from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. and on Fridays when varsity sports events are held on the Island.
“The kids are what make [Safe Rides] possible,” Reel emphasized. “It’s wonderful to see such concern. They’ve got each other’s back.”
But the true key to its achievement, she said, is the program’s vow of confidentiality.
“The kids trust us, and this makes all the difference. If they thought their confidence was being breached we wouldn’t be around,” the Safe Rides director pointed out. “Next to getting kids home safely, confidentiality is our main concern. After all, calling us could be the most important decision they make that night.”
Even more heartening is the fact that MISD graduates have begun using the service when back on the Island from college.
“Those aware [of the program] are coming back. We’ve had graduates use the service and say ‘I’m so excited this is still going on,’” Reel said.
And although she couldn’t comment on the slight increase of drinking among high school students (6.5 percent for grade 12) that has board members concerned, Reel believes that a growing number of teenagers are making responsible choices given the circumstances.
“[Safe Rides] is not promoting drinking, we’re promoting good choices. And when it comes to this, I’ve seen a definite increase among high schoolers,” Reed said. “We’re raising bright kids who are making responsible choices, and we’ve got to applaud them for that.”
Other categories in the Healthy Youth Survey, such as Well Being and School Environment, yielded little noticeable change, despite the 2004 introduction of BRIDGES, a cross-grade level student-led advisory program aimed at improving school environment, at the high school.
For more information on the Healthy Youth Survey go to www.misd.k12.wa.us.
