Teachers must take immediate action when a student is high in class. Students are using an ever increasing number of drugs and substances to get high. Too often they use drugs on school premises and appear in class in an altered state. There are many signs of drug use that may be easily noticeable to teachers: sleepiness, red eyes, fighting, enlarged or very small pupils of the eye, spaced out behavior, coughing, withdrawn behavior, unclean appearance, the aroma of smoke/pot, unusual agitation, new friends, aggressive behavior, and extreme anger.
Talk to the Student
Talk to the student and say that
it appears they may be using drugs. Mention the symptoms you have noticed and give the student a chance to talk. Often they will tell you that they are having family problems or relationship problems and that they may get high to just help or to just forget the issues.
Tell the student that you are required to report any symptoms of drug use you notice. Show them the list of symptoms you have compiled and ask them if they have any comments to make about your thoughts that they may be on drugs in school.
Alert the Student's Family
Alert the student’s family if you suspect drug use. Give the parents information about any symptoms you noticed that may indicate drug use. Refer them to websites that will help them gain information about teenagers and drug use such as: www.TalkingWithKids.org, www.DoSomething.org, and www.Teen-Drug-Abuse.com.
Keep a copy of any correspondence with parents about student’s possible drug use and behavior. Also keep a log noting time, date, and topic of any phone calls or e-mail messages sent to parents.
Inform the School
Fill out any required paperwork about suspected drug use in school. Also notify the Guidance department and the school psychologist. Keep a folder of all documents you submit and also put any parent contact documents in the file as well.
Read News Articles about Hazards of Drug Use
Bring in news articles that show the dangers of drug use. Many commonly used drugs have horrific side effects. Crystal Meth, cocaine, and heroin can all have some potent side effects that may cause serious damage to a young person’s health.
Have the class read news articles and discuss the dangers of drug use. Talk about statistics about drug deaths in the state
and in the overall nation. Then have the students create an original article about the dangers of drug use. They may do Internet research to find facts about drug use and may also use facts from drug abuse they know about in the community.
Source:
http://www.talkingwithkids.org/drugs.html