Butler County school administrators share concerns on illicit substance use by teens
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Drug use in schools is not only a disciplinary issue for the student who partakes, it is widely considered a safety issue that could potentially affect students throughout a school.
Brian White, superintendent of Butler Area School District, said “anything that can negatively impact even one student is a significant issue.” The potential for one student to be harmed by drug use, or for another student to be influenced to use as well, is a situation the school district is actively working to avoid.
“That is why we are so concerned about substance abuse,” White said. “Even one interaction with Fentanyl can be lethal.”
Around Butler County, school districts have policies in place to address drug use among students, and many of their policies are similar from district to district. Because the use of many drugs is illegal — and widely prohibited to people under age 18 or 21 — illicit substance use in schools often involves intervention from law enforcement, as well as programs attended by adults who perform similar offenses.
Alfonso Angelucci, superintendent of Slippery Rock Area School District, said drug- or alcohol-related offenses are considered “more severe” than other disciplinary offenses at the district, and each “requires additional steps on the part of the students.”
“Students are required to go through an agency intake process or screening before being permitted back in school,” Angelucci said. “Law enforcement is notified, if warranted.”
School districts across Butler County can be seen focusing on prevention measures to keep students from suffering negative effects of drugs in the first place.
Tracy Vitale, superintendent of Seneca Valley School District, said Seneca Valley was one of the first schools in the region to institute a drug testing policy for student club members and athletes. The initiative has not only helped detect drug use in students in the district, but it has helped students avoid using drugs as well, Vitale said.
“We have had a strict drug testing policy in grades seven through 12 for our athletes, clubs and activity participants, and our students that drive to school since 2001,” Vitale said. “We are proud of that program because students have told us that it gives them an ‘excuse’ to say ‘no’ under peer pressure.”
Butler Area School District also has random drug testing for students involved in school sports and clubs, as well as high schoolers who drive to school and park on campus.
Vitale said drugs should be a concern in every school district because of their effects on adolescent development. This is where the disciplinary side of addressing drugs coincides with the educational side of letting students know how they could be affected by certain drug use, she explained.
“Any time a student is suspended for being under the influence of drugs or alcohol while at school, we also work with our school resource officers, and it is very likely that charges will be filed, because it is illegal,” Vitale said. “Having shared the discipline side of being under the influence, we are cognizant that there is also a need for counseling and a rehabilitative component.”
She continued to say school administrators work with parents on ways they can be proactive to prevent their child or children from using drugs or other illicit substances. A lot of it comes down to awareness, not only of what drugs are out there, but what a child is doing inside and outside of school.
“Some of the things a parent can proactively do is to limit children’s access to both over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions in the home,” Vitale said, “(Parents should) be aware of the social media platforms children are on and whom they are talking to and try to create a safe space for children to feel comfortable asking questions, creating environments for children to feel safe to talk to their parent about drugs and addiction.”
School districts also bring in outside organizations with representatives who speak with students about how their behavior could impact themselves and other students. White said students get talks from organizations like Keystone Wellness and My Voice My Choice, and students may be referred to agencies like Glade Run Lutheran Services, the Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center and Pyramid.
Eric Ritzert, superintendent of Karns City Area School District, said students who are reported to be using drugs or on a drug in school may be evaluated by the school nurse, especially if their health seems to be at risk.
“If a student needs medical service, our nurse assesses them and, in some cases, notifies emergency services,” Ritzert said. “Parents are also notified in a situation like this.”
Ritzert said Karns City Area School District also has measures that help a student who has used drugs in school to recover from past actions.
“After a suspension,” Ritzert said, “we meet with families and help connect them to local agencies that conduct drug and alcohol screenings to determine if there is more significant intervention needed.
“Often, any such offense has a disciplinary component and an educational component to address the infraction.”
Vitale said a student’s process with drug use in school doesn’t end with their discipline either, but with follow-up talks with administrators.
“Because we believe in the restorative side, we also require five follow-up drug screens weekly that need to come back negative,” Vitale said. “Results are shared with the parents.”
School districts also work with outside agencies to treat drug use in students, which also may help address other behavioral issues, even if they happen outside of the school.
“If a parent/guardian asks for assistance, we strive to connect them with resources to support their student regardless whether situations occur in or out of school,” White said about the Butler Area School District’s intervention extending to offenses made outside of school buildings.
Sometimes districts like Butler also work with Butler County agencies, including Butler County Children & Youth Services, or CYS, and Butler County Drug and Alcohol to address student behavioral needs.
Charlie Johns, executive director at Butler County CYS said the agency has seen a recent increase in behavioral issues with children, including the use of illicit substances. As a child protective services agency, Butler County CYS mainly looks at how a child is being affected by drug use, which often stems from a parental or guardian figure.
“The primary focus is making sure that the children in a family that are too young to state there is an issue are protected,” Johns said.
Sometimes drug use in youth does have to be addressed by CYS, according to Johns.
The changing availability of substances has given governmental services new challenges in how to address their use. Johns said substances obtained legally are looked at on a case-by-case basis, and sometimes, Butler County CYS contacts its state governing body for advice.
“We've had some interesting situations I would put under the category of new that our system doesn't know how to respond to yet,” Johns said. “We have actually discussed if you can purchase them, how do you respond to that? A lot of it just comes down to assessing the situation and the parents' protective responsibilities.”
Vitale said Seneca Valley School District focuses on working with students to prevent drug use on their end, because the availability of drugs and alcohol will probably never go away.
“I have been in five school districts during my 30-year career — urban, suburban and rural; big schools, small schools and medium-size schools,” Vitale said. “The only difference between schools was in the types of drugs that teens were experimenting with.”
This article is shared in its entirety as part of a conversation on addiction and pathways to recovery in our community. To read more from Changing Pathways to Recovery, a six-week series, please subscribe.
