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Yes, today has changed from years ago! Alcohol abuse causes over 100,00 deaths each year. It is the drug most commonly used by children ages 12 to 17. Children who drink alcohol are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior, have poor grades and experiment with illegal drugs!
Someone once said to me, "Expecting ones kids to go to the public schools without sampling drugs, is like throwing them into a furnace and expecting them to come out unburned." But when I say this, I get the same response, in most cases, these issues are even in the private schools. If any parents have their children enrolled in private middle/high schools, I would like your intake.
I have called the schools peronally, but of course, the answer is no. Most have zero-tolerance in place.
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Originally Posted by Mattie
My oldest went to private high school (actually two, one in NJ and one in FL) and the drug and alcohol use was higher than that at the public HS we sent the next two to in GA. The pervasive attitude at the private schools was that the rules do not apply to those with money. The sports-playing students were just as bad as those who weren't involved in activities. And, the schools my son attended had a zero tolerance policy, so that wasn't the issue. Actually, several students were expelled in their senior year because of drinking. It just never sunk in to so many of the students, that rules are rules, no matter what the family income level was.
In the public high school we later chose, it was far easier to avoid both drugs and alcohol. They were certainly around, and my kids still managed to attend parties where drinking was done, but the size of the student body made it easier to find find others who wanted to abstain.
Having had the experience we did, it still boils down to your daughter. Nobody will make her drink or do drugs, no matter where you send her. You need to realize she will be exposed at any school she attends. A strong sense of self, and the ability to break from the crowd mentality will take her far.
Knock wood, except for a couple of minor drinking episodes, my kids have all come through middle and high school intact, with good grades and college acceptances. The oldest and the youngest do not drink at all. The middle one does, but he lives off campus and is at least smart enough to know the car stays in the lot after a party. Drugs haven't been an issue with any of them, whichever school they went to.
Thanks for your input, mattie. This is what I have always truly believed... it's just such a shame, that we as parents, have to worry about drugs and alcohol in our schools. I feel that parental involvement in school is important to academic success.
Alcohol abuse causes over 100 deaths each year. It is the drug most commonly used by children ages 12 to 17. Children who drink are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior, experiment with illegal drugs and poor grades.
I forgot to mention that our local high school and most high schools in RI are underperforming, too. So the fact that the SAT scores are low, I should find a better school, regardless.
Yes, today has changed from years ago! Alcohol abuse causes over 100,00 deaths each year. It is the drug most commonly used by children ages 12 to 17. Children who drink alcohol are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior, have poor grades and experiment with illegal drugs!
Someone once said to me, "Expecting ones kids to go to the public schools without sampling drugs, is like throwing them into a furnace and expecting them to come out unburned." But when I say this, I get the same response, in most cases, these issues are even in the private schools. If any parents have their children enrolled in private middle/high schools, I would like your intake.
I have called the schools peronally, but of course, the answer is no. Most have zero-tolerance in place.
Zero tolerance policies are stupid.
My kids are in a private school PK3-12. My kids are in 6, 9, 11 grade and all started school there in 6th grade. Drug and alcohol use are evident from about 8th grade onward. It is no more or less prevalent than in the local public schools. Violence is pretty much non existent in the private school setting though. That is not true in our local public schools.
We chose private school for the better atmosphere within the school, greater academic choices, smaller classes, better college planning and fewer disruptive students. I think it would be foolish to expect that there would be no alcohol and drugs at private schools. Private school kids usually have more money at their disposal than public school kids.
Professor David Nutt: "In terms of the cost to society, alcohol causes the biggest harm"
Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, according to a study published in medical journal the Lancet.
My kids are in a private school PK3-12. My kids are in 6, 9, 11 grade and all started school there in 6th grade. Drug and alcohol use are evident from about 8th grade onward. It is no more or less prevalent than in the local public schools. Violence is pretty much non existent in the private school setting though. That is not true in our local public schools.
We chose private school for the better atmosphere within the school, greater academic choices, smaller classes, better college planning and fewer disruptive students. I think it would be foolish to expect that there would be no alcohol and drugs at private schools. Private school kids usually have more money at their disposal than public school kids.
Thank you for your response! After reading the responses here, I agree with you. My main concern being drug and alcohol abuse vs. violence and bullying. So in your children's school, you do see evidence of drugs and alcohol in their school. If so, how do you handle this? What are the school policies in place to deal with this?
My daughter's local mddle/high schools are underperforming, with their standarized test scores being horrible. Most schools in RI have the same results. So in the end, we are going to send my daughter to a private high school. It's going to be difficult to absorb the cost, but we feel it will be well worth it!
Like you said, I feel the environment and academics will better suit her needs.
Public schools have traditionally educated a wider array of student population – less affluent and more ethnically diverse. With this study, researchers pulled scores from 4th and 8th graders on the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test in math and reading. They compared public and private schools with similar student populations and conditions.
What they found is that public and private school 4th graders had similar reading scores. Public school 4th graders actually outperformed their private school counterparts significantly in math. For 8th grade, students did about the same in both types of school in math, but in reading, private school students outperformed public school students by a statistically significant margin.
In other words, it's a toss up. The study also compared the performance of students in parochial schools and found that they generally performed similarly to those in other private schools. They did find, though, that for 8th grade math, students in Lutheran schools did significantly better than both public and private school students. Those in conservative Christian schools scored significantly lower than all other groups.
The long and the short of it is: forget the category. Public or private, charter or parochial, what matters most is the individual school. Just don't assume that because a school costs more, it will perform better; or because it costs nothing, it will perform worse.
Thank you for your response! After reading the responses here, I agree with you. My main concern being drug and alcohol abuse vs. violence and bullying. So in your children's school, you do see evidence of drugs and alcohol in their school. If so, how do you handle this? What are the school policies in place to deal with this?.
My sons talk to me on a regular basis. There are school policies to prevent these things from happening on campus but most of the drinking and drug use does not occur in school. I think this is true of public schools as well. Schools have rules in place to prevent drug use on campus but there are other places for kids to get in trouble.
When kids are caught with drugs or alcohol on campus they are expelled. We know a handful of kids who have been expelled. There is little the school can do when kids party off campus.
One of the best ways to prevent drug and alcohol use is to supervise your kids. Talk to them. Get to know their friends. Invite the friends to your house. Get to know their families. Make sure you REALLY know your kids. Encourage them to tell you things. Don't get made because their friends use drugs and alcohol. Don't freak out on them when they tell you shocking things or they will stop telling you.
And remember-Just because SOME kids are drinking, taking drugs, and having sex at young ages it doesn't mean all of them are doing those things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by me in RI
My daughter's local mddle/high schools are underperforming, with their standarized test scores being horrible. Most schools in RI have the same results. So in the end, we are going to send my daughter to a private high school. It's going to be difficult to absorb the cost, but we feel it will be well worth it!
Like you said, I feel the environment and academics will better suit her needs.
We have been happy with our choice of private school but I would caution anyone about making a decision like this based only on the desire to keep their child from drugs and alcohol. I think that to a certain extent drinking is a rite of passage in the US and no school is immune.
My sons talk to me on a regular basis. There are school policies to prevent these things from happening on campus but most of the drinking and drug use does not occur in school. I think this is true of public schools as well. Schools have rules in place to prevent drug use on campus but there are other places for kids to get in trouble.
When kids are caught with drugs or alcohol on campus they are expelled. We know a handful of kids who have been expelled. There is little the school can do when kids party off campus.
One of the best ways to prevent drug and alcohol use is to supervise your kids. Talk to them. Get to know their friends. Invite the friends to your house. Get to know their families. Make sure you REALLY know your kids. Encourage them to tell you things. Don't get made because their friends use drugs and alcohol. Don't freak out on them when they tell you shocking things or they will stop telling you.
And remember-Just because SOME kids are drinking, taking drugs, and having sex at young ages it doesn't mean all of them are doing those things.
We have been happy with our choice of private school but I would caution anyone about making a decision like this based only on the desire to keep their child from drugs and alcohol. I think that to a certain extent drinking is a rite of passage in the US and no school is immune.
Thank you so much! I finally had the opportunity to speak to one of the administrators of the school I have chosen to send my daughter. She basically said the same think like you and others here. She went on to say despite its reputation as a high-performing school, they face the same issues as other area high schools. They have over 500 teenagers in their buliding and anyone who thinks that any of those 500 youngsters are exempt from temptation of drugs and alcohol doesn't live in the real world.
She also said that 1 in 4 high school students have attended parties where minors were drinking in front of parents. If they're getting that message at home, it's tough for them to tackle that at school. Something I had said, about parents not being involved or aware.
Being a private school, the sudent penalties from substance abuse are not the same as public schools. Policies are strict, which included expulsion.
She also stated that alcohol and drug abuse is on the rise with teenagers.
And like the advice many stated here, it is the consistency of your relationship, emphasizing the battle starts at home. Dugs and alcohol are not tolerated at campus, so the same should be said at home.
Bottom line... Stay vigilant in terms of knowing your child's whereabouts and being honest and understanding in conversations that can be uncomfortable and even unconventional.
After reading all your great post, and speaking with numerous family members, friends and school administrators for public and private schools... we have made the decision to send our daughter to a private middle/high school!
Thanks again!
Depends on the school, parents, kids. I know many parents/teachers at some of the private H.S. in my area (15 -30K tuition). One school has a zero tolerance policy and does periodic drug testing while another school has the reputation of admitting kids who were kicked out of public H.S. because of drug issues. Invariably, the parents of these problem kids were wealthy and able to get them into the private H.S. by donating to the right fund.
Of the public H.S. in my area, the schools in the wealthiest areas seem to have the most pervasive drug problems. The reasons are varied. Perhaps it's a response to the academic pressure/competitiveness of the school or easier access to money to buy drugs.
Depends on the school, parents, kids. I know many parents/teachers at some of the private H.S. in my area (15 -30K tuition). One school has a zero tolerance policy and does periodic drug testing while another school has the reputation of admitting kids who were kicked out of public H.S. because of drug issues. Invariably, the parents of these problem kids were wealthy and able to get them into the private H.S. by donating to the right fund.
Of the public H.S. in my area, the schools in the wealthiest areas seem to have the most pervasive drug problems. The reasons are varied. Perhaps it's a response to the academic pressure/competitiveness of the school or easier access to money to buy drugs.
That goes for schools in our wealthy areas,too, which I will never understand. I am in a middle class area, with most of the schools performing poorly, and among other issues. So we were confused as to what to do? So in the end, we decided with the private school. Many are saying what you have, that dugs and alcohol abuse are more prevalent in the wealthier communities, for whatever reason. We know they are in our public school systems but with the school's academics, violence, bullying, drugs & alcohol etc., we are going to try the private school.
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