Stress tops list of students’ problems

Stress tops list of
students’ problems
Board may consider
increasing district’s
guidance staff
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK — Stress, underage drinking and smoking are among the biggest problems school officials have seen among local students.

During its Jan. 8 meeting, the Board of Education discussed the problems employees have noted among students, as well as the various support services offered by the school district. Board members pointed out disturbing trends they see, as well as how the guidance department may be beefed up as a result of student issues.

The discussion took place following a report by Janet Cervalli, supervisor of student services for the school district. The student assistance report presented an update on the various support services available in East Brunswick, as well as statistics on the number of student pregnancies, drug activity and other issues.

According to the report for the 2002-03 school year, the district conducted 39 suicide assessments, up from 18 the year before but down slightly from the year before that. Cervalli said the assessments are done by two employees after the school learns that a student has made a suicide threat. The professionals call the parent in all cases, but also try to determine the seriousness of the threat and whether the student has a plan in place, before the counselors decide on a course of action.

In most cases, Cervalli noted, the student is not found to be seriously considering suicide.

The number of child abuse and neglect cases decreased from 65 in 2001-02 to 47 in 2002-03. There were 77 reported cases in 2000-01.

The number of students suspected of drug or alcohol use was 52, down from 78 the year before. The number of chemical screens rose to 47 from 24 each of the prior years.

The screens are intended "as a last resort to compel a student to get treatment, or as a safety measure to exclude students who are under the influence during school," the report said. Among the drugs found were marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs such as Xanax. However, LSD and non-injected heroin have reappeared lately. The major concern is alcohol, which is hard to detect, as are "club drugs" such as Ecstasy and GHB.

But the biggest problem is something no one actually seeks out.

Board member Dennis Lai asked Cervalli why stress is identified as the No. 1 problem among students.

Cervalli said the stress results from the students being so overscheduled in their lives, as well as participating in a competitive school district, and getting ready for college.

"They don’t have a minute of time," she said.

She said there also is the usual peer pressure to get involved with drugs, alcohol and sex. In addition, the world climate — including orange alerts, occupation in Iraq and the Columbine tragedy — also weighs heavily on students’ minds, she said.

The problems are not just among high school students, she said, noting that she has planned a stress workshop for fifth-graders.

Board member Michael Danatos pointed out the problems are not just with students, as some parents are either providing children alcohol or allowing them to drink. He asked if the district can get police more involved tostifle such activities.

"I would be all for a zero tolerance policy anyway we could enforce it," he said.

Cervalli said there have been a lot of questions about support from the police, and that at the time of her presentation she was expecting to meet shortly with Police Director Thomas Finn. She said she would report back to the board with the results of that meeting.

Board President Michael Baker said parents of 17- and 18-year-olds are less inclined to ask their children if they will be somewhere with parental supervision.

He said he has noticed another problem as well — an increase in smoking among students. In fact, there is an area in the district where students hang out to smoke, and the numbers there don’t "seem to be decreasing," he said.

Cervalli agreed, and called the trend "depressing." She said it is difficult to assess the scope of the problem and help students, because students usually do not smoke in school.

"Detention has not been a deterrent," she said, adding that smoking is an addiction.

Baker said people forget that nicotine is a drug. He asked if statistics regarding district smokers could be gathered and presented.

"I think it’s a major problem we don’t give enough attention to," he said.

To deal with the student problems, the board is considering the addition of more guidance counselors, Baker said. Counselors tend to focus more on college-related issues, while problems faced by students "take a back seat," he said.

With budget time just around the corner, the district needs to decide if it should hire more guidance counselors and special service workers to assist students with problems, he said.

He noted the state has indicated that the district has enough staff to deal with student issues, but added that his common sense as a parent tells him the number of workers is not adequate.

Blake Siegal, the student representative to the board, said having more guidance counselors "couldn’t hurt," and would allow students to develop more personal relationships with the workers.