The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program: Background and Context

Publication Date: March 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Education; Social conditions

Type:

Abstract:

The No Child Left Behind Act (P. L. 107-110), amends and reauthorizes the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) as Part A of Title IV - 21st Century Schools. The Department of Education administers SDFSCA through the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program, which is the federal government's major initiative to prevent drug abuse and violence in and around schools. Through the Act, state grants are awarded by formula to outlying areas, state educational agencies, and local educational agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC) and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Also, funds go to a state's Chief Executive Officer (Governor) for creating programs to deter youth from using drugs and committing violent acts in schools. National programs are supported through discretionary funds for a variety of national leadership projects designed to prevent drug abuse and violence among all educational levels, from preschool through the postsecondary level.

There are other federally sponsored substance abuse and violence prevention programs administered in the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and other agencies. Those programs are not discussed in this report.

Despite the reports about violence in the nation's schools and the surge in multiple homicides in schools in recent years, the 2000 Annual Report on School Safety indicates that the nation's schools are generally considered to be safe. School crime rates actually declined between 1992 and 1998. The study, Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2002, found a continued decrease in such crime rates through 2002. Although crimes were still occurring in schools, some students seemed to feel more secure at school now than they did a few years ago, while many others seemed to feel less safe. Such feelings, however, depended on the racial and/or ethnic group of the students. Larger percentages of Black and Latino students feared attack or harm at school than White students. Derogatory words related to race, gender and others were reported by 12% of 12- to -18-year old students to have been used by someone at school against them. Females were more likely than males to report gender-related hate words, and Blacks were more likely than Whites to report race-related hate words. Analysts noted that such discriminatory behavior created a hostile environment that was not conducive to learning.

The Monitoring the Future study conducted by the University of Michigan revealed overall declines in drug use in all 8th, 10th, and 12th grade levels surveyed from 2001 to 2002. Results included significant decreases in the use of MDMA (ecstasy), marijuana, LSD, inhalants, alcohol, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco. Heroin use, which declined significantly among 10th and 12th graders from 2000 to 2001, remained stable for each grade level from 2001 to 2002. Also, cocaine use remained unchanged from 2001 to 2002 for each grade. Crack use, however, showed significant increases in use by 10th graders, along with sedative use by 12th graders. For the first time, questions were added to the survey regarding the non-medical use in the past year of the prescription drugs to relieve pain - Oxycontin and Vicodin. Researchers concluded that results showed reasons for concern.