Kings Park Central School District

Drug Prevention Programs and Activities
Kings Park Central School District

The Kings Park Central School District takes very seriously our responsibilities to provide our students with information about drug awareness and prevention, as well as the strategies they need to make good decisions and avoid destructive decisions that can lead to the misuse and abuse of drugs and alcohol. We offer an array of age-appropriate programs for students in all grade levels, including:

Primary schools

Health Smart
Seven Habits of Happy Kids
Assemblies, such as the New York Islanders talking about healthy choices

Intermediate School

Police Smart – drugs, alcohol and internet safety for the 5th grade
Working to provide for 4th grade later in the year
Components of Health Smart presented throughout the year

Middle School

Police Smart for all three grades is about drug awareness and prevention and is grade level specific.
Health classes and Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L.) classes address the topic of drug prevention.
School is working with Kings Park in the Know to organize an informational evening for parents (tentative date is April 9th).

High School

All students in health classes attend Suffolk County Police Department presentations on several topics including prescription drug abuse, heroin, distracted driving, Internet safety with an emphasis on cyber-bullying, and diversity.
Too Good for Drugs is incorporated into the high school health course.
Students encouraged to attend Ms. Ventura message on heroin sponsored by Kings Park In-the-kNOw in October.
Suffolk County Police Department conducted a canine locker search in February; no drugs were found.
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club has over 200 student members who organize and participate in several activities across the school year and provide support to students.

In addition to drug awareness/prevention programs, the district also offers programs about bullying and other destructive behaviors that may lead to drug misuse and abuse. Kings Park provides students with numerous positive opportunities to be involved in sports, clubs and activities. And we have built relationships with outside youth groups so that our students have many more opportunities to engage in positive activities that help them develop the resilience to stay away from drugs.

Our main focus has been to keep those programs that work and add to them. However, we also recognize that we must have high expectations for appropriate behavior backed by strong sanctions. The district has a strong Code of Conduct that includes a one-year suspension from athletics and clubs for any student found in possession of, using or selling drugs, alcohol or drug paraphernalia in school or at a school function. Each year we ask the Suffolk County Police Department to conduct canine locker searches, sending a clear message to our students that we will not tolerate drugs in our schools. The district also partners with Kings Park in the kNOw to provide a fall Preventing Destructive Decisions Workshop for parents and students.