Talawanda School District Educates Students To Prevent Alcohol And Drug Abuse

BY CLAIRE WILLIAMS
Miami University journalism student

Every school district in the United States faces the same dilemma: how will it educate its students about the risks of alcohol and drugs? The Talawanda School District in Butler County is fortunate: it has an entire community at its side.

In September, the school district accepted a grant from the Oxford City Council for $11,000. The money will be used this school year for drug and alcohol prevention programs, as well as a resource officer in the Talawanda Middle School to help teach students how to avoid substance use.

The Oxford City Council is not their only donor. Amy Macechko, wellness coordinator for the drug and alcohol prevention education programs, said money comes from different sources.

“We are very fortunate to have a Coalition for a Healthy Community in the Oxford area which specifically seeks to educate all residents of the Oxford area about the dangers of substance abuse and the advantages of living a drug-free life," she said.

Funding for the coalition comes from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services. The group oversees drug and alcohol prevention programs, along with general mental health education and even obesity prevention. These programs are basic education from kindergarteners not ingesting unknown substances to high school students learning the detrimental effects of hard drugs.

“In addition to this source, we have many community partners who are passionate about this topic and want to make a financial contribution to the work to ensure that these critical messages are shared,” Macechko said.

The dollars are used to create programs geared toward prevention and education. The Talawanda School District seeks to provide students with the tools and the support to make healthy choices. Macechko said that all students -- no matter their race, socioeconomic status or other background -- need education.

“Prevention strategies today attempt to engage students and meet them where they are at. So whether it is using technology or engaging students in activity-based learning, the older methods of just preaching at students are met with resistance. From a data perspective, we have seen student use rates decrease over the years,” Macehko said.

But there is still work to be done. Few know that better than Lois Vollmer, a member of the Talawanda School Board who is seeking re-election Nov. 7. “Any kind of program is better than nothing,” she said.

Vollmer believes, however, that one of the more distinct problems that many people might not realize is that some kids can be bullied into trying drugs for the first time. She knows from personal experience, as her grandson passed away six months ago from a drug overdose. Williams "Ben" Vollmer, a 23-year-old graduate of Talawanda High School and Butler Tech, died in Oxford in March after ingesting what police believe was tainted cocaine.

“He started on drugs because of bullying. He was bullied because he didn’t drink or do drugs, but he wanted to fit in,” his grandmother said.

Vollmer believes bullying is a huge problem in the elementary and middle schools, and that by the time the students reach the high school it may already be too late.

There are improvements and lower numbers of Talawanda children abusing substances, though Vollmer believes that there should be more precautions taken.

“Talawanda, in my view, is one of the best school districts around. What we offer our students is top notch,” she said.

While the Talawanda School District and the Oxford Community are working to educate and prevent drug and alcohol abuse, there is a bigger concern that has been trickling into rural Ohio towns: Opioids.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio’s opioid epidemic continued to evolve in 2016, with data showing a significant increase in overdose deaths involving the opioid fentanyl -- a drug similar to but stronger than morphine. Heroin, which has plagued Ohio and the Oxford community for years, is another concern.

Holli Morrish, director of communications for the Talawanda School District, acknowledges that drugs are a problem in Ohio, the work local schools are doing to educate and help their students is overall very encouraging.

Local school anti-drug and anti-alcohol messages are breaking through, according to the school district's Holli Morrish. -- Video by Claire Williams

“Drug and alcohol prevention is K-12 (grades). We have programing that is developmentally appropriate even for a kindergartener. We talk about good choices and one of the things that they really emphasis is the 40 developmental assets,” Morrish said.

The 40 developmental assets include assuring that a child has support, empowerment, positive values, etc. Morrish said that these assets are top of mind with every program in local schools.

“The thought is that the more of those assets that you have, the happier and more successful person you will be. We think that having that wellness program in place here to address all those barriers, can help students to say ‘OK, I’m ready to learn,’ ” Morrish said.

“We take a PRIDE survey every other year. Schools all over the country take it, and what’s awesome about it is that you have access to all this data. It’s going tell you what your usage (drug and alcohol usage) looks like compared to communities who have very similar demographics to you, how you compare in your state and how you compare nationally. That will tell you what needs to be focused on, alcohol, drugs, or lowering the number,” Morrish said.

Morrish believes that the education and prevention program will continue to push down use of drugs and alcohol. "We are optimistic that the trend will continue," she said.

Top photo: The local school board meets at Talawanda High School in Oxford. -- Photo by Claire Williams