New Directions for a District-Wide Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program. Title IV Evaluation Report 1997-98. Publication No. 97.06.

The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) Act of 1986 provides funding to school districts to supplement local efforts to eliminate violence and drug and alcohol use by their students. In 1997-98 the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) received a total of $1,197,750 through SDFSC grants. In the AISD these funds support a variety of student programs, curriculum and staff development efforts, and support staff and services. Data for this evaluation come from many sources and different data collection methods, including student surveys, report forms, interviews, and focus groups. A drug and safety survey given to a sample of students in grades 4 through 12 provided information about student substance use and beliefs. When asked where they received information on drugs and alcohol, most secondary school students reported a variety of school and nonschool sources. About two-thirds of secondary respondents said that they had not participated in any AISD program or activity in the past 2 years. When asked about school safety, most respondents said they felt safe in school. However, 20% reported that they had been harmed or threatened in school in the past year, and 11% reported that they had harmed or threatened someone else. Most respondents to a staff survey said that drugs and alcohol were not problems on their campuses. Program and budget data and responses to student and staff surveys suggest that not all students in the AISD are being served by SDFSC programs. Recommendations are made for program improvement, focusing on prevention and education. Four appendixes contain federal guidelines for SDFSC fund use, the "Principles of Effectiveness" from the SDFSC Act, the district's drug abuse and alcohol education and prevention plan, and summaries of information on AISD SDFSC participants. (Contains 47 tables, 32 figures, and 22 references.) (SLD)