A CHILD is caught smoking dagga during break. How should the school respond? All too often it’s by suspending, sometimes expelling, the offender. In one Western Cape school a first-time dagga user was expelled. The school merely moved the problem on.
National guidelines leave the details of drug policy to provincial departments or individual governing bodies. ”In the past it’s been: ‘We don’t have drugs in our school’ – absolute denial, then getting rid of the kid,” says Sarah Fisher, founder of Bridges Drug and Alcohol Education programme.
A recovering addict herself, Fisher has developed a framework drug and alcohol policy for schools that has been implemented in 16 schools in the Western Cape. Beyond banning the use of, and dealing in, any drugs in school, the guidelines recommend case-specific assessments. The policy commits schools to organising annual sessions on prevention for learners and parents, as well as training for teachers. It presents chemical dependency as a health, not a moral, issue.
Kyrle Vraagon, principal of Excelsior Secondary school in Belhar, Cape Town, was concerned that such a sympathetic approach would play down the responsibility a learner must take in making choices about drugs. ”I’ve always thought right is right and wrong should be punished. But an addict needs help. When a child has a problem, you can say: ‘Throw him to the wolves,’ or you can try to help. There’s no room for moralising.”
Bridges’ most powerful tools are three of its team members, all recovering addicts. Currie, who has been clean for five months, believes addiction cuts across all barriers. ”We’re so honest about where we come from. We make it clear to the kids we’re here to help, not catch them out. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a shack or a suburb; if you have a drug problem, you’ll identify with our feelings.”
Once the framework policy is accepted by a school, the Bridges team share their experiences with the learners. Wesley Allen (15), from Excelsior was ”shocked” to hear it first hand. ”Usually at these drug sessions they tell you not to do it, but these guys just tell you what could happen. That’s like a wake-up call.”
Through education and the implementation of a clear drug policy, Principal Vraagon has found he and the staff at Excelsior can now offer help instead of punishment to drug users. ”Before, if someone was caught using or selling they went before a disciplinary committee and were usually suspended. Last week we had a boy – the first in five months since we brought in the policy. I could see in his eyes he was smoking dagga regularly. I called his mother and she agreed he’s got a problem. Bridges gave us a list of places he can go to for treatment. So the policy has helped us know where to turn. We can give hope to kids who never chose to have a problem in the first place.”
For further information, contact Bridges (021) 852-6065
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, August 31, 2000.
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