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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2000

News Release

White House Drug Czar Joins Forces With the National Education Association to Protect the Nation's Schoolchildren From Drugs and Violence

September 28 Broadcast Launches Partnership

Washington, D.C. -- The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the National Education Association today officially launched a multi-faceted partnership to help educators prevent drug use and related harmful behaviors among their students.

The Campaign will collaborate with NEA, the nation's largest education employee organization, to create substance abuse prevention materials geared to school employees, middle school students and their families. NEA will also use print, satellite, and the Internet to deliver anti-drug messages as part of its work to promote school health and safety.

"Recent research shows our efforts toward reducing teen drug use is working. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse reported that drug use by 12 - 17 year-olds has declined by 21 percent over the past two years," said Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "What's more is that among junior high students, drug use is down 34 percent over the last three years, according to the 2000 Pride survey. While we are pleased with the results, there is much more that can be done, and our partnership with NEA and its teachers, coaches and professionals will be critical."

A 1997 survey of teachers and school principals by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that 96 percent of principals and 81 percent of teachers believe that teachers should play a role in advising, counseling, or informing students about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.

"Everyone has a role to play in keeping children safe and drug free," said Bob Chase, President of the NEA. "The key is communication and deepening the connection between teachers, students, and parents. This partnership will help educators spot early signs of troubled youth and provide positive alternatives to risky behavior."

The first Media Campaign-NEA collaboration is a September 28 satellite broadcast featuring schools in two communities - one in Hartford, Connecticut, the other in Beaverton, Oregon- and their efforts to help students resist negative behavior, including turning to drugs. The broadcast, "Safer Schools: Helping Students Resist Drugs," represents the fifth show in a nine-part "NEA Safe Schools Now Network" video series geared to dissemination of effective techniques to promote school safety. The website, www.safeschoolsnow.org, will provide the satellite coordinates for the broadcast and resource materials. Videotape copies of the show will also be available. In addition, the program will be webcast through www.health.org. Educators can find ONDCP-supported drug prevention curricula at www.teachersguide.org.

The partnership combines ONDCP's five-year, $1 billion National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and its array of school-based drug-prevention programs and the NEA's work to keep schools safe. Together, the Media Campaign and NEA will create new standards-based drug prevention materials for educators. Emphasis will be placed on after-school programs, since the hours between 3 pm and 7 pm are when young people are most at risk of getting into trouble.

In 1998, with bipartisan support of the Congress and the President, ONDCP created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to educate and empower all youth to reject illicit drugs. The Campaign relies on ads developed by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. In less than two years, the Campaign's messages have become ubiquitous in the lives of America's youth and their parents. Counting on an unprecedented blend of public and private partnerships, non-profit community service organizations, volunteerism, and youth-to-youth communications, the Campaign is designed to reach Americans of diverse backgrounds wherever they work, learn, live, or play. Visit www.mediacampaign.org for additional information.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.