The drug education program in Mississippi was established under the auspices of the state Board and Department of Education. The department was made responsible for assisting school districts in developing, administering, and evaluating the program. The program itself has involved the training and work of drug education specialists. These specialists have directed their efforts toward students (in both public and nonpublic schools), adults, and community organizations. Specialists have done some teaching themselves, planned curricula, and worked with the other classroom teachers.
This evaluation concentrated on the program’s overall success, its division of emphasis between school and community, its compliance with legislative intent, and its finances. In the first area, the Department of Education should formulate and put into effect a definite system for evaluating the drug program to determine its success. As far as emphasis between school and community is concerned, drug education specialists should concentrate more heavily on community activities during those months when school is not in session, especially since they are paid on a twelve-month basis. In the third area, a serious ambiguity has existed concerning the role of the drug education specialist, partially because the law has not clearly specified who is to bear the responsibility for counseling and who for teaching. The advantages of flexibility of the role versus the advantages for clear definition should be determined.
In the area of finances, drug education specialists should be paid as regular teachers unless their summer months are occupied with activities related to community service. If salaries and the supporting services allotment were reduced and training reimbursement and tuition were limited to new employees, the budget request for the drug education program could be reduced by $741,703.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.