Two Dodge County School Districts Awarded Grants To Reduce Student Drug Use

(Waupun) Two Dodge County-area schools were awarded grants through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to help reduce and prevent drug use among students. Waupun and Lomira join 45 other districts that will split over $886-thousand dollars in combined funding from the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Program (AODA). State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor says there is recognition of the need to look at students’ use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco in the larger context, encompassing the mental health and well-being of the school community as a whole. The AODA program grants support teaching of skills and information along with necessary resources to curb alcohol and drug use. Stanford says these grants use multiple strategies and link resources from home, community agencies and the school. According to the most recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 11.2-percent of students reported the unauthorized use of prescription painkiller usage. The 2019 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey is expected to be released in the fall.