Upcoming SBIRT Assessment at CHS

November 8, 2021

Dear CHS Parents/Guardians and Ninth Grade Students:

Canton Public Schools wants the very best for our students, and their safety and well-being are paramount.  Canton’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey data consistently demonstrates that a number of our students try alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs by the end of high school and many students report regular substance use.  The survey data shows a statistical change in behavior between ninth and tenth grade.

In order to help prevent students from starting to use substances and identify early substance use in middle and high school students, CHS Nursing and Counseling Staff will be providing an interview-based screening for 9th-grade students about the use and effects of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs on the adolescent brain.  This tool is called SBIRT (Screening-Brief Intervention-Referral to Treatment), which utilizes the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts, the CRAFFT.  This screening is also in accordance with the recent Massachusetts law designed to address the substance abuse and the Opioid crisis. Student screening sessions will be conducted by the SBIRT Team and will include school nurses and counselors.  These sessions will be confidential and brief, approximately 5-10 minutes.  

Students who are reporting no substance use will have their healthy choices reinforced by the screener.  The screener will provide brief feedback to any student who reports using substances, or is at risk for future substance use.  If needed, the student will be referred to our counseling department for further discussion.  The results of the screening are confidential, and will not be shared with administration, coaches, or parents/guardians.  They will not be included in any student’s school record, and they will only be shared with the SBIRT Team Members.  All students will receive some educational material and a resource list at the time of the screening.  

As with any school screening, you have the right to opt your child out of this mandated screening. Please contact Maureen Campbell, CHS School Nurse, Monday, November 15, 2021, by 8 a.m. via email at campbellm@cantonma.org, if you wish to exclude your child from SBIRT Screening.  

Additionally, screening is voluntary and students may choose not to answer any or all of the screening questions.  The screening will be conducted during your child’s study period starting the week of November 15th.

One of the best ways to prevent adolescent substance use is to talk with your child about your family’s thoughts and expectations regarding substance use.  Research shows that a parent’s/guardian’s influence is the #1 reason young people decide not to drink alcohol or engage in destructive behaviors.  Together, schools and parents/guardians CAN make a difference for the youth in Canton.  

Sincerely,

CHS Administration and Nursing Team