DUNDONALD HIGH
SCHOOL
1.
INTRODUCTION
3.
THE LAW IN NORTHERN IRELAND
4.
DEALING
WITH AN INCIDENT/SUSPECTED INCIDENT
5.
THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DRUG
EDUCATION
6.
WHAT IS THE
SCHOOL’S CURRENT POSITION?
7.
THE ROLES OF THE
DESIGNATED TEACHER FOR DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS AND
THE HEALTH EDUCATION CO-ORDINATOR
Why
have a Drugs Policy:
A drugs policy can help young people, their parents
and the school to cope
with the
very real presence of drugs in our community.
It also helps to reduce
‘panic’
and make it clear what action should be taken if an incident involving
drugs
occurs on the school premises.
Consider the facts from the latest Health Promotion Agency Research and
Evaluation
Review.
23% of surveyed school children have been offered illegal drugs.
One third
reported
it would be easy to get illegal drugs if they wanted to.
15% said they had tried drugs - cannabis and solvents being the most
commonly
used.
Smoking and drug use are linked. Two
thirds of drug users are smokers, so it
is
important to convey the no smoking message in school.
Drugs
Education in Context
‘The purpose of a Drugs Education Programme, is to provide
opportunities
for
young people to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills which
enable
them to consider the effects of drugs and other substances on
themselves
and on others. It enables them to
make informed and responsible
decisions
about the use of such substances within the context of a healthy
lifestyle’. (DENI Misuse of Drugs - 1996)
The
Drugs Education Programme is integrated within the Health Education
and
Personal and Social Education programmes of study.
A life skills
approach
to drug prevention is essential and within the PSE programme pupils
are
taught about raising self-esteem, self confidence and assertiveness to
prepare
them for making informed decisions about drug use, the main focus
being
on knowledge, social skills, attitudes and values.
Drugs
Education is specifically included within other Programmes of Study,
and
these are covered under ‘The Place of Drugs Education within the
Curriculum’.
In
addition to the drug education provided within the curriculum, the school
offers
counselling and support for pupils to explore their own attitudes and
values
as well as an opportunity to discuss any drug related problems they may
have.
This is generally done through the Pastoral System within the school
and the pupils are informed that confidentially cannot always be guaranteed.
The School’s Policy on drug education covers any substance under the
DENI
definition:
‘A drug is any substance which, when taken, has the effect of altering
the way
a person
behaves, feels, sees or thinks. As
well as everyday substances such as
tea and
coffee, drugs include:
n
alcohol
and tobacco
n ‘over the counter medicines’ such as paracetamol for headaches
n prescribed drugs, such as antibiotics and tranquillisers
n volatile substances such as glues and aerosols
n illegal drugs such as cannabis, LSD and Ecstasy.
The school recognises that this policy focuses mainly on illicit drugs
but is
does not exist
in isolation. This policy compliments the Code of Discipline,
the Child
Protection Policy and the Pastoral Care Policy.
All staff are aware of their responsibilities under the law.
The law in Northern
Ireland
differs in certain aspects from elsewhere in the UK.
The relevant
pieces
of legislation are ‘The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Section 5 of the
Criminal
Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967, the Powers of Arrest, Police and
Criminal
Evidence Order (NI) 1989.
If the principal has reasonable grounds to suspect that drugs are being
used or
supplied
on the school premises, he/she will inform the police immediately in
order to
avoid any liability as a ‘manager or occupier’ of premises.
If staff have taken possession of a substance for the purposes of
protecting a
pupil
from harm and from committing an offence; they should under no
circumstance,
try to analyse or identify it. If
they suspect it to be LSD, they
should
wear gloves when handling it, to avoid ingestion through the skin.
The
drug
should be immediately stored in the school safe and a record entered in
the drug
incident book. The local police
must also be contacted.
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
It is an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971:
i
to supply or offer to supply a controlled drug to another in
contravention of the Act;
ii
to be in possession of, or to possess with intent to supply to another, a
controlled drug in contravention of the Act; it is a defence to the
offence
of possession that, knowing or suspecting it to be a controlled
drug,
the accused took possession of it for the purpose of preventing
another
from committing or continuing to commit an offence and that
as
soon as possible after taking possession of it he/she took all such
steps
as were reasonably open to him/her to destroy the drug or to
deliver
it into the custody of a person lawfully entitled to take custody
of
it;
iii
for the occupier or someone concerned in the management of any
premises knowingly to permit or suffer on those premises the smoking of cannabis; or the production,
attempted
production, supply, attempted supply, or offering the supply of any controlled
drug.
The offences listed above are arrestable offences.
Section
8
A person commits an offence if, being the occupier or concerned in the
management
of any premises, he/she knowingly permits or suffers any of the
following
activities to take place on those premises, that is to say:
(a)
producing or
attempting to produce a controlled drug in contravention of section 4 (1) of
this Act;
(b) supplying or attempting to supply a controlled drug to another in contravention of section 4 (1) of this Act
or offering to supply a controlled drug to another in contravention of section 4 (1) of this Act;
(c) preparing opium for smoking;
(d) smoking cannabis resin or prepared opium.
Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967
Section
5
Failing to give information. Where
a person has committed an arrestable
offence,
it shall be the duty of every other person who knows or believes:
(i)
that
the offence or some other arrestable offence has been committed; and
(ii) that he/she has information which is likely to secure, or to be of material assistance in securing,
the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of any person for that offence;
to give that information, within a reasonable time, to a constable and
if,
without
reasonable excuse, he/she fails to do so then that person is committing
an
offence.
This
places an onus on individuals to inform a constable.
Powers
of Arrest - Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland)
Order
1989
Art
26(4) - Any person may arrest
without warrant anyone who is, or whom
he/she with reasonable grounds suspects to be, guilty of the
offence.
Art
26(5) - Where an arrestable offence has been committed, any person may
arrest
without warrant anyone who is, or whom he/she with reasonable
grounds
suspects to be, guilty of the offence.
These
powers of arrest are available to non-police and, as the following drug
offences
fall within the definition of Arrestable Offence, are available for use
in
such circumstances.
(1)
Possession
of Controlled Drugs.
(2) Possession of Controlled Drugs with Intent to Supply.
(3) Supply of Controlled Drugs.
NB The above information is advisory only and does not represent
legal
opinion.
4 DEALING
WITH AN INCIDENT/SUSPECTED INCIDENT
When an incident or suspected incident occurs the member of staff
concerned
should
follow the procedures outlined in Appendix 1 - taking heed of the
following
notes.
Searching
When a member of staff has reason to believe that a pupil’s desk or
locker
contains
unlawful items a search can be conducted. Pupils
must be asked to
turn out
pockets or schoolbag if suspected. If
the pupil refuses the Police must
be called
to deal with the situation. (Intimate
physical searches or asking
pupils to
remove clothing or shoes should not happen).
Police
Inform local PSNI station.
Informing Parents
Inform the parents at once but arrange interview with Principal for the next
day.
Action
by School
Punishment
Decision
re length of suspension for pupil (if relevant) to be taken by Senior
Management.
If pupil admits involvement this can be done immediately.
If
pupil
denies involvement and later admits to Police, this decision may have to
be
postponed.
Support,
guidance and help
The
SEELB Designated Officer - 90-566200 will advise Principal re
procedures.
Field
Officer for Schools - Ards Arena - 91-813987 will advise staff on
how
to handle the situation in school after an incident.
Dunlewey
Substance Advice Centre, Newtownards 91-818945 will brief
parents
and work with young people.
While
an incident will be kept as confidential as possible it is not possible for
schools
to treat information about possession or supply of drugs as
confidential
- the police must be informed.
Dealing
with the Media
If
the school receives an enquiry from the media, the caller should be referred
only
to the principal.
When
responding to the media, the privacy of the pupil should be respected.
Only
give short, factual statements, and the concluding statement should be
positive
and reassuring. No further comments
should be given.
5 THE
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DRUG EDUCATION
PROGRAMME
The school’s drug education programme is grounded in the following aims
and
objectives:-
5.1
Aims
n
To
promote positive attitudes towards personal health.
n To develop self-discipline and self-respect.
n To build pupils’ self esteem.
n To develop decision making skills which may delay or prevent the onset of experimentation.
n To inform pupils of the effects of drug abuse, and the risks involved.
n To help pupils to understand how they can influence their peers.
n To develop knowledge and understanding of themselves and others as individuals.
5.2
Objectives
Drug Education should enable pupils to develop a
knowledge and
understanding
about drugs and drug issues, as well as the skills needed to cope
with
challenges they will encounter.
Pupils should be able to:
n
Understand
their own personality, needs, abilities and interests.
n Understand the process of reasoning required to make informed choices.
n Explore their own attitudes towards drugs and drug issues.
n Develop coping strategies to deal with peer pressure.
n Develop a competence in challenging attitudes and patterns of behaviour associated with drug misuse.
n Develop self discipline.
n Understand what is meant by ‘a drug’ and the definition of ‘addiction’.
n Understand how some drugs affect the body.
n Be aware of the benefits of healthy lifestyles.
n Recognise potential drug exploitation and how to take avoiding action.
n Beware of the current drug culture and the effect of advertising campaigns.
These objectives are closely linked with our school policy on pastoral
care and
they should not be seen in isolation.
6
WHAT IS THE SCHOOL’S
CURRENT POSITION?
Pupils
Drug
Education Programme - delivered through a dedicated programme in
Year 8 and the curriculum in Science, Home Economics, RE, PSE and
Modular Studies - see Appendix 4.
Staff
Information sheet to help staff identify drug abuse including:-
n
warning
signs in individuals
n
Warning
signs in peer groups
n
Objects
that might indicate drug misuse
n
Areas
of the school which may be used by pupils for drug abuse - see Appendix 5.
Continued training of staff on drug related issues.
Parents
School rules on drugs are clear.
Information booklet available for
any parents with concerns over drugs - Drugs
and
Solvents - a guide for parents produced by the Health Promotion Agency.
Visits by PSNI Drugs Squad to give a talk at a PTA meeting.
Information to all parents informing them that the school Drugs Policy is
available
in the school office.
7 THE
ROLES OF THE DESIGNATED TEACHER FOR DRUG
RELATED INCIDENTS AND THE HEALTH EDUCATION
CO-ORDINATOR
(a)
Designated Teacher for Drug Related Incidents
-
Implementing procedures as outlined in this policy for dealing
with an incident.
-
Receiving any substance found school.
-
Liaison with outside agencies in relation to drug related
incidents.
-
Reviewing and updating the school drug policy, when required.
(b)
Health Education Co-ordinator
-
Regularly updating staff on the policy and the procedures for
dealing with drug related incident.
-
The induction of new staff as appropriate.
-
Liaison with staff who have responsibility for pastoral care and
delivery of the drug education programme.
-
Reviewing and updating the school drugs policy, as required.
The school drug education policy is periodically reviewed to reflect
changing
circumstances
and trends in drugs use. The
programmes of study for drug
education
are continually reviewed and any changes deemed necessary are
implemented.
The policy is a regular item on the agenda of staff meetings and all new
staff
are
familiarised with it.
The policy is available to parents if they request it and it is printed
in the
school prospectus and school handbook.