Hamilton County Schools leaders are ramping up drug prevention education across the county’s schools this fall in response to new trends in teen drug use and two recent incidents that have occurred at Brainerd and Central high schools.
In partnership with the Hamilton County Health Department and the Hamilton County Coalition, the school district is working with health and community leaders to create a curriculum and increase drug prevention education for all high school students in the district.
Neither the district nor the health department were specific about the goals or intended message of the curriculum, but Tim Hensley, spokesman for the district, said the lessons would be presented as in-class workshops and promote “healthy choices’ and address the risks of drugs, tobacco and e-cigarettes.
Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools Dr. Bryan Johnson talks about the system 21-years after the merger of city and county schools.“We understand that we have a responsibility to meet [students] where they are,” said Superintendent Bryan Johnson. “The social-emotional needs of our students are real and we have to always be thinking about ways to support their needs.”
The district hopes every high school student will attend such a workshop before Christmas break. Hensley also confirmed that the urgency for such education is due in part to an incident at Brainerd High on Sept. 26 that resulted in five students being transported to area hospitals after taking an undetermined substance during the school day and an incident at Central High on Oct. 3 in which four students ate drug-laced gelatin candies and were also transported for medical treatment.