MVRHS committee looks at substance use, water quality

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MVRHS committee discussed ways to address substance use among adolescents on Monday night. -Michael Cummo

The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) committee met on Monday night to discuss new programs that address substance use among adolescents, and were briefed by the facilities director on a new cost-savings initiative, as well as water-quality testing.

Richard Smith, assistant superintendent of schools, said the Vineyard is trying to respond to substance use disorder (SUD) and the opioid epidemic that has “hit everybody” statewide. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health saw a 400 percent increase in opioid deaths from 2012 to 2015, and has defined it as both an epidemic and a crisis.

Amy Houghton, MVRHS committee member and director of human resources at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), said that Island schools have formed a coalition to deal with SUD, with MVCS, law enforcement, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, doctors, YMCA, Youth Task Force, the courts, parents, and community members. The coalition has defined prevention among adolescents as a priority for 2017.

Mr. Smith told the committee that the schools will use an updated version of a program they have used in the past, Law Enforcement Against Drugs (LEAD), which is recommended by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The program reaches students from kindergarten to 10th grade, and depending on the grade level, is used eight to 16 times in a school year.

LEAD will be a complement to Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), which Matt D’Andrea, superintendent of schools, told the committee is a screening tool and pilot program for MVRHS and middle schools. SBIRT is currently used in seventh grade, and will be used with sophomores at MVRHS next year.

Through a series of five questions asked in a confidential private setting, SBIRT helps prevent substance abuse among adolescents by helping identify early risk factors, and provides intervention to help students make healthy choices.

The state mandates schools to use a program that deals with SUD, and Mr. D’Andrea said SBIRT is the state-recommended program. It’s given to an entire grade, and doesn’t target any specific group or individual.

In other business, Michael Taus, MVRHS facilities director, told the committee that school water was tested for lead in 76 locations, and four came back with an elevated count. Of those four locations, two sinks were not in use, and are now marked for “hand-washing only.” The other locations were two ice machines. The ice was then tested using state standards, and the results came back below state requirements. The school will conduct another test this week, and send a letter to parents with the final results.

MVRHS entered into a cost-savings initiative with Cape Light Compact, where nearly all the lights in the building will be replaced by more efficient ones. The project, which will be paid for by Cape Light Compact, will cost $285,000 and save the school more than $40,000 a year on its electric bill. Mr. Taus said the details are still being worked out, but he hopes to have the project completed this year.

There will be a four-hour safety training class on March 1 at 9:30 am that is free and open to Island custodians and Department of Public Works (DPW) employees. The class covers issues like slip and fall prevention, as well as electrical and ladder safety. It will be held in the library conference room at the high school during school vacation.