 
 CHAPTER 70--STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
                                 SCHOOLS
 
        SUBCHAPTER IV--SAFE AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES
 
Sec. 7102. Findings

    The Congress finds as follows:
        (1) The seventh National Education Goal provides that by the 
    year 2000, all schools in America will be free of drugs and violence 
    and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol, and offer a 
    disciplined environment that is conducive to learning.
        (2) The widespread illegal use of alcohol and other drugs among 
    the Nation's secondary school students, and increasingly by students 
    in elementary schools as well, constitutes a grave threat to such 
    students' physical and mental well-being, and significantly impedes 
    the learning process. For example, data show that students who drink 
    tend to receive lower grades and are more likely to miss school 
    because of illness than students who do not drink.
        (3) Our Nation's schools and communities are increasingly 
    plagued by violence and crime. Approximately 3,000,000 thefts and 
    violent crimes occur in or near our Nation's schools every year, the 
    equivalent of more than 16,000 incidents per school day.
        (4) Violence that is linked to prejudice and intolerance 
    victimizes entire communities leading to more violence and 
    discrimination.
        (5) The tragic consequences of violence and the illegal use of 
    alcohol and drugs by students are felt not only by students and such 
    students' families, but by such students' communities and the 
    Nation, which can ill afford to lose such students' skills, talents, 
    and vitality.
        (6) While use of illegal drugs is a serious problem among a 
    minority of teenagers, alcohol use is far more widespread. The 
    proportion of high school students using alcohol, though lower than 
    a decade ago, remains unacceptably high. By the 8th grade, 70 
    percent of youth report having tried alcohol and by the 12th grade, 
    about 88 percent have used alcohol. Alcohol use by young people can 
    and does have adverse consequences for users, their families, 
    communities, schools, and colleges.
        (7) Alcohol and tobacco are widely used by young people. Such 
    use can, and does, have adverse consequences for young people, their 
    families, communities, schools, and colleges. Drug prevention 
    programs for youth that address only controlled drugs send an 
    erroneous message that alcohol and tobacco do not present 
    significant problems, or that society is willing to overlook their 
    use. To be credible, messages opposing illegal drug use by youth 
    should address alcohol and tobacco as well.
        (8) Every day approximately 3,000 children start smoking. Thirty 
    percent of all secondary school seniors are smokers. Half of all new 
    smokers begin smoking before the age of 14, 90 percent of such 
    smokers begin before the age of 21, and the average age of the first 
    use of smokeless tobacco is under the age of 10. Use of tobacco 
    products has been linked to serious health problems. Drug education 
    and prevention programs that include tobacco have been effective in 
    reducing teenage use of tobacco.
        (9) Drug and violence prevention programs are essential 
    components of a comprehensive strategy to promote school safety and 
    to reduce the demand for and use of drugs throughout the Nation. 
    Schools and local organizations in communities throughout the Nation 
    have a special responsibility to work together to combat the growing 
    epidemic of violence and illegal drug use and should measure the 
    success of their programs against clearly defined goals and 
    objectives.
        (10) Students must take greater responsibility for their own 
    well-being, health, and safety if schools and communities are to 
    achieve the goals of providing a safe, disciplined, and drug-free 
    learning environment.

(Pub. L. 89-10, title IV, Sec. 4002, as added Pub. L. 103-382, title I, 
Sec. 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3672.)
