Drugs have been associated with teenagers since their advent in pop culture. Whether it be Shaggy, the “skater dudes” in a movie, or something else, there’s always been the connection.
However, the stereotype does not stay in the fictional world. High schools all over the country have seen drug use in their halls, and NAFCS is no different.
During the 2023-24 school year, there were 25 suspensions related to substance use at Floyd Central and 48 at New Albany High School, according to the official discipline records kept by the NAFCS administration obtained on Feb. 7. This is an increase of 6 suspensions at FC, with a rise of 22 suspensions at New Albany, compared to the 2019-20 school year.
As seen in the data, there has been an inconsistent, yet climbing, rate of substance use and abuse in NAFCS high schools. This can be further proven by the state-wide survey given by Our Place Drug and Alcohol Education Services, a local organization and partner of NAFCS. This survey is given to eighth, tenth, and twelfth-grade students.
The survey noted that the self-reported usage of vapes and e-cigarettes rose between the years of 2022-2023 from 10-20% for seniors, 6-13% for sophomores, and 5-7% for eighth grade. These numbers are notably lower than the Indiana average, as a study from the Youth Behavior Surveillance System, a study conducted yearly by the CDC, reported that 19.1% of high school students reported that they currently used “electric vapor products.”
A large factor as to why vaping became so popular is because of the flavors offered by companies.
“It just tastes better, cigarettes are gross,” said Sarah. However, the flavors don’t matter to some, “I’d smoke unfiltered cigarettes,” said Ethan.
With this increase in self-reported drug use, the FC administration has taken some actions to prevent substances from being used in the bathrooms, including posting staff inside the bathrooms to establish a presence there. The bathrooms are the primary hotspot for drug use in school, according to both students and administration.
“Being in the bathrooms, being visible is a big deterrent. I know sometimes it feels awkward for students to see an administrator in the restrooms, but our goal is not to look at students that are actually using the restroom, but just to be in there. Students and parents have said good things about [staff] being in the restrooms because it makes the students feel safer knowing there’s people there,” said principal Scott Hatton.
Even though putting staff in the bathroom helps, it can seem inconvenient to other students.
“There was one time when I was using the restroom, and there was a cloud of smoke coming from the stall next to me, and that was when Mrs. Estus walked in and cleared out the bathroom, so I had to leave the bathroom, which was very unfortunate for me because I was just using the restroom,” said senior Kaitlyn Murphy. “It definitely does [cause an inconvenience], and I think it can scare certain students. Students who are shy or just overall don’t like to be around other people. If they are just using the restroom and an administrator walks in and is like, ‘Hey anyone who is smoking get out’, that can be scary even if you’re not smoking.”
In addition to standing in the bathrooms, resources like the data the administration receives from the digital hall pass form can help provide insight into the potential use of drugs during the school day.
“As well as the digital hall pass, when students use that and teachers have them use it, we do have the data on what students are out of the room at any given time. If a student does not have a health problem and they are out first, second, third, fourth, and fifth period in one day, a lot of the time that is an indicator of drug use,” said Hatton.
While the administration has plans in place to limit the utilization of drugs during the school day, some students find these measures ineffective.
“I think sometimes [administrators in the bathrooms] can limit smoking. But in certain cases, one, they are not always in there, and two, it makes things very uncomfortable for the people who aren’t smoking and who aren’t the issue. I think sometimes it might limit because it can kind of wash some of them out, but also if they aren’t going to do it in the bathroom, they are going to find somewhere else to do it,” said Murphy.
However, some students still choose to use the bathrooms as their go-to spot. ‘Ethan,’ a [junior/senior/etc.] who has experimented with vaping at school, spoke to the Bagpiper on the condition of anonymity.
“I got stopped by the admin a bunch, probably a hundred to two hundred times. I got caught one time when it was in my hand and there was a cloud of smoke around me,” said ‘Ethan.’ [I just didn’t care] at all.”
The school has considered other, more permanent deterrents, such as vape detectors, but nothing official has been given the green light yet. “At my previous school, I was a principal at Jeffersonville High School, they installed that while I was there. There are some good things about vape detectors and there are some problems with it. And right now, we have not decided to go with it. It’s always a consideration. It’s always a possibility. But would it reach the desired outcome that we want? We’re not sure. But that’s a big discussion,” said Hatton
Although some students acknowledge there may be a problem, they do not mind the issue because it does not affect them.
“I don’t really pay attention to it because I’m just trying to get through my school day, and it’s really none of my business what anyone else does. Of course, I don’t want people to do drugs, but I never go out of my way looking for the people that do because I’m just trying to pass my classes and have fun with my friends at school,” said Green.
Additionally, teenage substance abuse can, in some cases, be attributed to a lack of education on how the substances can affect them. Murphy explained her perspective as to why some choose to use drugs and how it can be harmful.
“I think most students do it for the thrill and the fun and because it is quite ‘cool.’ But I think once people get educated and really understand what could happen and what the issues behind it are, they will be less likely to do it for fun and for that cool factor because you realize all of the problems and symptoms that you can get after, are not cool and in fact not fun at all,” said Murphy.
Despite the thrill factor that can be caused by using drugs, some simply feel dependent on nicotine or other drugs to get through the school day.
“[Vaping] helps me tolerate other people. It just makes being at school easier,” said ‘Sarah’, a student who spoke to the Bagpiper on the condition of anonymity. “It makes it easier for you to stay focused.”
Other students were a bit more direct with their reasoning as to why they vape during the school day. “To get me through the hell that is Floyd Central High School,” said Ethan. “[it made it easier to deal with] the people and the teachers.”
Another reason for students to use substances in school is the tough nature of quitting them.
“If you try to quit for the first couple of days, it sucks. You feel like you always wanna hit it, and you get upset easily and get angry,” said ‘Ethan,’ a [junior/senior/etc.] who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Other students described feelings of forgetting something when leaving the house or never feeling fully fulfilled.
As some students believe drug use can add a rush of adrenaline, 2024 Our Place survey data shows that 52% of sophomores and 62% of seniors do not believe that abusing marijuana can cause any harmful risks or, if any, slight dangers to their well-being.
One contributing factor to drug use amongst teens has been the rather recent destigmatization of drug use.
“ I’m seeing a change in adults, too, in our area, even though it hasn’t been legalized in Indiana. Adults around here are like, ‘well, if it’s legal over there, it’s not that bad.’ And then once the parents or adults feel like it’s not that bad, then a lot of students also feel like it’s not that dangerous for them. Marijuana nowadays is far different than marijuana back in the 70s,” said Hatton.
Another factor that specifically affects FC is the reputation it has among schools in the area.
“So we get transfers into Floyd Central all the time. And I do welcome students from other schools and other corporations. But a lot of times, people will look at Floyd Central, parents will, and they’ll say, you know, ‘my son had a whole lot of problems over in Louisville, or my son had a whole lot of problems over in whatever other school,’ and Floyd Central will save them. Well, yes, I do believe Floyd Central is better than any other school around and we don’t have as big of problems as other schools have, but yet, if a student comes in with an addiction with a problem, they still have that when they get here. So that’s part of the problem,” said Hatton.
Despite all the talk about substance use at FC, the numbers are much lower than students think. An average of 39% of students at FC think their peers drink alcohol. However, only 13% of students reported using it. The numbers are similar to other forms of substances, like cigarettes and marijuana. This trend of less students using substances is in line with a trend nationally, as a study by Monitoring the Future, a yearly study sent out by the University of Michigan, found that “Abstention levels in 2024 were at the highest recorded by the survey since it first started tracking this outcome in 2017. The percentage of students who abstained from drug use in 2024 was 67% in 12th grade (compared to 53% in 2017), 80% in 10th grade (compared to 69% in 2017), and 90% in 8th grade (compared to 87% in 2017). The increases from 2023 to 2024 were statistically significant in 12th and 10th grade.” This could be a result of any number of things, but a big theory for the dip is the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is possible that the factors that disrupted and lowered drug use during the pandemic from 2020 to 2021 resulted in permanent change. This could occur if the pandemic disrupted both school/community peer groups that encourage drug use as well as the processes by which these groups perpetuate themselves by recruiting new members,” said Monitoring the Future
Getting caught with substances in school is not something that is taken lightly by anyone involved. ‘Ethan’ detailed his experience of being caught his freshman year.
“I got pulled out of biology freshman year, was joking with Woody [SRO Woodruff] the whole way down there, and they dumped my bag out. Made me take my shoes off and they made me empty my pockets and lift up my waistband.”
This story corroborates with the procedure the administration follows when a student is suspected of being involved with drugs. The policy that is in place is very strict as to when the administration can check a student for substance use.
“If a student seems like that they are under the influence of anything, we have the legal right with reasonable suspicion to search the student. And so sometimes a student will act in a certain way that teachers or the nurse or someone will suspect when that happens, then we have the nurse to do a full evaluation,” said Hatton.
“If a student smells like marijuana, that’s probable. That’s reasonable suspicion. If the student’s eyes are dilated and the nurse is checking them out, that’s also another reason. If we have a student that comes to us and says, the student has drugs on them, then that also is reasonable suspicion.”
It is unknown what or when new precautions will be introduced.