HERALD SCHOOLS

North Shore counselors share results of Bach Harrison survey

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Following its budget hearing, the North Shore School District Board of Education was visited by social worker Reisa Berg and Linda Binon, the director of the high school’s counseling department. The educators gave a presentation detailing the results of the Bach Harrison survey, which was administered to over 1,000 students in grades 7 through 12 earlier this year.

The Bach Harrison took place of the national PRIDE survey, which is typically administered every other year, and “measures the need for prevention services for youth in the area of substance abuse, delinquency, social behavior and violence.” Students took the survey voluntarily, and the answers were completely anonymous.

Berg said the purpose of the survey was to learn how North Shore students feel about their community, and to use its findings as a tool to fund district efforts in employing protective factors in curricula that address substance abuse.

“The Bach Harrison compares current data to years past and national data from districts across the country to evaluate where we are in terms of normative behavior,” she said.

The presentation featured comparative bar graphs that presented results from the most recent PRIDE survey in 2015 alongside results from the Bach Harrison. Berg said that overall North Shore was “trending downward” in usage of “most drugs” as compared to prior years but clocked in above the national average in three categories: alcohol, e-cigarettes, and amphetamines.

Berg also outlined contributing risk factors that drive students to use. “This survey allows us to dig deep into the data, and look at sources of use,” she explained.

Some “risk factor profiles” that were highly represented in the data include parent attitudes that favor alcohol use (44 percent), low commitment to school (43 percent), perceived risk of drug use among peers (44 percent), and rewards for antisocial behavior among peers (54 percent).

Despite these risk factors, the survey also said over 82 percent of North Shore students demonstrate four or more “protective factors” that enable them to feel “safe and responsive” in situations of substance abuse. The national average’s number is 49 percent.

After sharing the results, Berg delved into the district’s actions to address abuse, which include “Too Good for Drugs” — a 10-week evidence-based program for elementary and secondary students — and distribution of substance use verbiage at back to school night.

“Although we have a good foundation to build upon, we believe in continual improvement,” Berg said. “We plan to look more into the data and enhance what we already have in place while considering other programs.”

Trustees were impressed with the depth of data yielded from the Bach Harrison and posed questions about how the district could improve upon its current results.

David Ludmar asked if survey questions could be customized to accommodate specific substance problems at North Shore, specifically the prevalence of e-cigarettes.

Board President Toni Labbate spoke to the sourcing of substances saying, “[parent] permission is part in parcel of our problem, and we need to drill it down.” She added that the district’s partnership with the North Shore Coalition Against Substance Abuse could help lower district risk factors. “That’s somewhere we really need to work on,” she said.

Trustee Joanna Commander, who advises the coalition, reiterated the importance of educating students on substance abuse at the elementary level. “Teaching of these skills is critical to our success,” she said.

Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarrizzo said the results of the Bach Harrison coupled with the school’s partnership with CASA would effectively work to “make some progress.”