Swampscott students oppose health policy

SWAMPSCOTT – A majority of Swampscott High School students disagree with the Chemical Health Policy and want to see it suspended, according to a survey that also revealed that a majority of students disagree that the school has a drug and alcohol problem.Student Body Representative on the School Committee William Travascio, a senior at the high school, conducted the survey in an effort to gauge student opinion on the policy and address concerns that “students did not have a voice in the decision making process to make the policy?.or whether the policy was fair to all students,” he wrote in his presentation to the committee.Travascio reported that 532 of the high school’s 750 students took the survey. Freshmen and sophomores represented 63 percent of the respondents, 23 percent were juniors and 14 percent were seniors. He attributes the low percentage of seniors to the fact it’s the end of the school year.The survey asked nine questions about how students viewed, as well as how well students understood the policy.In questions about the policy:u 62 percent of students said they were against the policy, with 38 percent saying they approved of the policy.u 63 percent of students said they did not feel the policy was fair to all students.u 64 percent of students responded that school privileges should not be lost for participating in illegal behavior outside of school.u 77 percent agreed that the policy should be suspended until “additional testimony can be given from students, parents and members of the community.”Specifically referring to the process of formulating the policy:u 61 percent of students said that additional student input should have been given when creating the policy, while 34 percent (the majority of whom were freshmen) said they were “not sure.”u 62 percent of students thought it would be beneficial to hold an open forum to discuss the policy.In terms of how well students understood the policy:u 59 percent of students said that they had read the policy, while the remainder said they had not.u 51 percent disagreed that the high school has a drug and alcohol problem; the majority representing a margin of 14 students.Members of the School Committee and administration praised Travascio and his effort, with Principal Layne Millington saying that it was “fantastic” to have more insight into the students’ opinions.”I believe this is how students feel,” Millington said, “but there was tremendous opportunity for students to be involved” in the process.In fact, Millington mentioned that he had three times set up for individual meetings to talk with students – even offering to buy them lunch – and he had fewer than 10 students attend. He also held assemblies where students had the opportunity to ask questions about the policy: at the first, students had only a few questions; at the second, they had none, he said.Travascio acknowledged there were certain disagreements among the opinions revealed in the survey results and the community and school debate over the policy. He mentioned that many students felt more comfortable responding in an anonymous survey. He also noted that, at least in one case, the rhetoric of a student didn’t match that of their parents.Nevertheless, School Committee Chair Jacqueline Kinney recommended that Travascio encourage his fellow students to participate in a review of the policy that will incorporate community members who have raised objections to the policy as well as members of the committee who created it.