By Leah Shaffer

For the most part, Eden Prairie teens are making the right choices, at least according to most recent results of the Minnesota Student Survey.

“It’s really strong percentages of kids who are doing the things that they know are going to help them be successful,” said Becky Hudlow, the Eden Prairie School District’s retired director of health services.

Hudlow has spent years at Eden Prairie Schools with an inside perspective on the mental and physical health of the district’s students. For the most part, she’s seen some positive trends over the years.

Alcohol and tobacco use continue to tick downward over the past decade. In the most recent student survey 85 percent of ninth-grade students report not drinking at all in the past year, along with 53 percent of 12th-graders.

“We see that trend going down since 1995, of kids using alcohol,” said Hudlow.

The survey is given to sixth-, ninth- and 12th-grade students every three years. Participation in the survey is voluntary and results remain anonymous. Eden Prairie has been tracking the data since 1995.

Participation rates were not as good in the early years. “Now we’ve got really good participation rates so we really feel like our data is really reflecting our students,” said Hudlow.

The one caveat to note is the results do reflect students who are in school.

“With our participation rates, we really have a strong belief that there’s good validity in the data,” added Hudlow.

Eden Prairie Police tend to have more contact with that other sliver of the population of students – the dropouts and repeat offenders.

Sgt. Brent Dupont, who heads up juvenile investigations for the Eden Prairie Police Department, hasn’t noticed any alarming trends related to juvenile offenders. In the past year, there was a decrease in reported juvenile crimes. Juvenile offenses such as the use of alcohol or curfew violations went down from a total of 142 in 2008 to 109 in 2009.

Eden Prairie Police have a number of prevention programs in place including Safety Camp, Explorers and CounterAct that reach out to Eden Prairie students. In addition, the department has run a liaison-officer program for decades in which each school has a police officer assigned to it.

Dupont described the liaison program as a cornerstone of the department: Officers cycle in and out of the program so that students get used to seeing different police.

Dupont first was assigned as a liaison officer 10 years ago. Every so often he runs into 30-year-olds he worked with back when he was at the middle and high schools.

Those individuals always seem to remember Dupont.

“A lot of the ones that were troubled youth back then want to sit and tell me how good they’re doing now,” he noted. That’s good, “as kids, we make bad choices and hopefully we learn from them and go from there.”

A look at the data

The most recent Minnesota Student Survey is but a snapshot of how teens view their own behavior. Though the results are generally positive, Hudlow did want to point out some areas of concern that could be seen in the data.

This year’s survey results showed a slight uptick in reported bullying behavior in Eden Prairie. “We still really want to work with kids on how they treat each other,” said Hudlow. They’re seeing that there’s still some victimization and there are kids making fun of each other, she added.

In terms of bullying behavior, “we want the community to have the same message, we want the parents to have the same message, we want the school to have the same message, this is not OK,” Hudlow said. “That’s how we’re going to change that behavior; we really have to all talk about it together.”

Another noteworthy increase from 2007 and 2010 is connected to where students find alcohol.

“Of those kids that are drinking, they’re getting the alcohol at home,” said Hudlow. “This is a significant increase.”

Alcohol is at the top of the list when it comes to tackling risky behavior. “If we can impact students not drinking, we can impact all other risk behavior,” noted Hudlow.

Hudlow said that the district is working on a grant to see if they can make a bigger impact in the number of 12th-graders reporting alcohol use.

With almost half reporting some use of alcohol in the past year, “we’re not going to sit at that and be satisfied.”  For 12th-graders, “we need to change the culture,” she said. “We need to be sure that they know that not everybody is drinking.” One program they’ve found very effective is for students to hear such a message from their peers, she said. “We need to really change that culture so that we’re all giving the same message, a non-use message.”

Minnesota Student Survey Results

The survey is given to sixth-, ninth- and 12th-grade students every three years. Participation in the survey is voluntary and results remain anonymous. Eden Prairie has been tracking the data since 1995. The most recent survey was administered in the spring of 2010.

Across the state, approximately 79 percent of sixth-graders, 75 percent of ninth-graders, and 59 percent of 12th-graders participated in the 2010 Minnesota Student Survey. A total of 89 percent of Eden Prairie’s sixth-graders, 89 percent of ninth-grade students and 75 percent of 12th-grade students in Eden Prairie participated in this survey, which is similar to the participation rate from the 2007 survey.

Good trends

Reported alcohol use continues to decrease among teenagers. In 2007, 75 percent of ninth-graders and 42 percent of 12th-graders reported that they not drink at all in the last 12 months. For 2010, those numbers increased to 85 percent of ninth-graders and 53 percent of 12th-graders reporting that they had had zero drinks in the past 12 months. Statewide, the average was closer to 68 percent of ninth-grade students and 43 percent for 12th-graders in 2010.

Tobacco use remains low: In 2007 2 percent of ninth-grade students and 11 percent of 12th-graders reported frequent use of tobacco in the past 30 days. For 2010, only 1 percent of ninth-graders and 6 percent of 12th-graders in Eden Prairie report frequent use of tobacco in the past month. The average for ninth-grade students, according to state results was 4 percent for ninth-graders and 13 percent for 12th-grade students.

Students feel safe: 98 percent of students in sixth, ninth and 12th grade feel safe at school compared to 96 percent in 2007.

Troubling trends

A slight increase can be seen in bullying reports: In 2007, 54 percent of sixth-grade students reported never being teased or excluded, and 67 reported never teasing or excluding others. In 2010, that went down to 50 percent and 64 percent of sixth-graders. At the ninth-grade level there were also decreases seen in the number of students reporting they never have been bullied or were bullied. At the state level, 47 percent of sixth-graders reported never being teased or excluded and 59 percent reported they did not ever tease or exclude a classmate.

Forced sexual activity: In 2007, an average of 6 percent of ninth- and 12th-grade females reported that they were forced to have sex or do something sexual when they did not want to, while that percentage went up to 9 percent of ninth- and 12th-grade females in 2010. Statewide, the average is 11 percent of females.

Kids are getting alcohol from home: In 2007, of those who do report drinking, 27 percent of ninth-graders reported taking the alcohol from their home, along with 11 percent of 12th-graders. That shot up to 43 percent of ninth-graders in 2010 and 14 percent of 12th-graders. Statewide, the average is 28 percent and 13.

By Randy Thompson

Are you concerned about a teenager in your life that is showing signs of chemical abuse? Or have you wondered if you’re doing enough to empower youth against drugs and alcohol? Maybe you’re looking for resources to learn more? Look no further than EP4Y (Eden Prairie for Youth).

Each month, members of EP4Y – a community coalition that exists to prevent underage drinking and drug use – will highlight local people, ideas and programs that promote healthy decision making among the youth of Eden Prairie. Look for a new article submitted by Eden Prairie parents, students and community members each month. Learn more about us at EP4Y.org.

How did EP4Y start? It started years ago as Eden Prairie Prevention Advisory, which was a group of parents, school staff, community members, local clergy and other members of youth organizations. This group met monthly to discuss youth drug and alcohol use and think of new ideas for prevention and development. At a spring meeting in 2007, it was proposed that the advisory group move to the next level of collaboration, and it was from this momentum that the EP4Y coalition came to be in 2008.

Who is involved, and what is the focus of EP4Y? Included in our current coalition are representatives from the city’s Parks and Recreation and Housing and Human Services Departments, the YMCA, Eden Prairie Schools, the Police Department, Eden Prairie faith community, Familink, the Eden Prairie Library, mental health professionals and parents, youth and businesses. The group has created a website (EP4Y.org) which provides information and resources, conducted a Community Needs Assessment to determine where to focus efforts and created a partnership to provide fee assistance to youth who lack access to programs. We are in the process of seeking a federal grant to expand efforts and leadership of EP4Y.

Why is this coalition important for Eden Prairie? Like most suburbs in Hennepin County, Eden Prairie has much to offer its residents, especially youth. But there are also many risks for our youth. The goal of EP4Y is to promote healthy choices and to inform parents so they may be better equipped to assist in healthy choice making. The analogy I like to use is a toolbox. Each of us carries with us a toolbox of knowledge, coping skills, resources and strategies for everyday life. The more tools in the box, the more options we can consider. EP4Y seeks to add tools – resources, skills, knowledge and strategies – to every toolbox in Eden Prairie. A healthy community comes from youth who feel empowered to make healthy choices and from the adults who can access the resources, strategies and skills to promote and support those decisions.

What can you do to support EP4Y? There are several options, but the most important one is the example and expectations you set as an adult. Whether you’re a parent, a coach, a neighbor, shop at the grocery store, are active in your place of worship, or own a hardware store, you can help set that expectation. Our youth are watching. Beyond this job we all share, there are other ways to support EP4Y. Talk to people about what you read in this column each month. Share your ideas and concerns. Contact EP4Y with your thoughts or attend one of our meetings. A further step may be to get involved with the coalition. We are constantly seeking the experience and skills that community members can bring to the efforts of EP4Y.

Want to learn more? Go to EP4Y.org and find great information – everything from the warning signs of chemical use to a list of commonly abused drugs, and much more. Or make plans to attend the next EP4Y meeting on Tuesday, March 29, at 5:30 p.m. at the Eden Prairie Shopping Center Community Room B. Prevention only happens with collaboration. We are all in it together.

EP4Y is a community coalition dedicated to reducing underage drinking and drug use, as well as promoting healthy youth development. Visit EP4Y.org for more information and resources.

Randy Thompson is a former Eden Prairie Police Officer and a current school counselor at Central Middle School in Eden Prairie.

We have helped raise money for youth scholarships which are distributed through PROP, our local social service agency. Scholarships for qualifying youth may include areas such as

• school sports
• summer enrichment programs
• leadership clubs
• music classes
• tutor support
• other activities that promote student involvement

This is a collaborative effort of Eden Prairie service providers. A need is identified by a provider or a parent, and PROP provides supportive solutions including financial grants. To make a donation to PROP for youth scholarships visit www.propfood.org and specify the youth scholarship fund with your donation.