According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 133.1 million people in the United States, ages 12 and older, reported consuming alcohol in the past month. Furthermore, 36.4 million people, 12 and older reported consuming marijuana, while over 1 million reported using other illicit drugs.1 Considering that these statistics are self-reported, the true numbers may be higher. A 2022 news release by the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that, among U.S. adolescents, 8.3 percent of eighth graders, 19.5 percent of tenth graders, and 30.7 percent of twelfth graders reported that cannabis was used significantly more than any other illicit drug.2 These studies show that young people are most at risk. Studies have shown that the use of illicit drugs in students can lead to academic difficulties, poor mental and physical health, and difficulty forming and maintaining peer relationships. Additionally, continued drug use can cause a decreased likelihood of continuous enrollment in college and completion of college education, highlighting a need for early intervention and prevention.
Unfortunately, the negative ramifications of usage among students are sometimes revealed only when an individual has contact with law enforcement. Many negative outcomes for the individual, family, and community are associated with drug abuse, including a conviction that can have persistent detrimental effects. Aside from a few months out of the calendar year, this age group is more often than not attending school or school-related activities. While one wants to imagine their kids are safe in those settings, schools are the centers of social and cultural exchange, and thus regularly become the places where students first encounter and experiment with drug use. The data and trends among U.S. youth, make it clear that something needs to be done to help combat this problem.
Education is key to prevention and intervention, but relevant knowledge is not exclusively beneficial for the students. Teachers, coaches, counselors, nurses, principals, administrators, and other staff can be equipped to recognize impairment and reach out to those who are living with or experiencing substance abuse issues. With the proper tools and training, educational professionals can focus their efforts on identifying affected students to aid them in accessing the appropriate resources that may be available prior to law enforcement involvement.
DITEP History
In 1996, the Clinton administration pledged support to the development of a program that would enhance awareness of drug abuse problems found in school systems across the United States.3 Law enforcement agencies in Arizona and Kansas partnered with schools in their states to begin training school personnel in the detection of impaired students. The following year, law enforcement agencies in New York partnered with schools to introduce a similar training program highlighting the issue within their own schools. The goal was to equip educational professionals to recognize impaired students outside of the legal system, where a drug charge could follow them for the rest of their lives, with emphasis on combatting drug use by providing the affected students with resources and alternatives to arrest.
By 1999, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) had partnered with Arizona, Kansas, and New York to develop a standardized curriculum that could be used in the further instruction of school personnel. This would allow other states, territories, and countries the ability to provide training in their respective jurisdictions. This paved the way for law enforcement to partner with school districts and educators across the United States and in other countries to train them in identifying drug-impaired students.
The program is titled Drug Impairment Training for Educational Professionals (DITEP), and the first official manual was printed in March 2000.4 Since then, the program has remained dynamic, undergoing revisions in 2006, 2010, 2017, and 2023, to allow for the addition of new trends, along with updates to drug categories (and their associated effects) and usage statistics. The training program has a fact-based scientific and medically accurate foundation supported by both laboratory and field-tested research, validated by studies conducted at John’s Hopkins University and the Southern California Research Institute.
To reiterate the previously stated goals, the DITEP Program instructors often stress that, although the course is taught by law enforcement officials, the purpose is for educators to assist students without having to involve law enforcement in any interdictory, disciplinary, or punitive capacity. This is incredibly important, considering the entire idea of the DITEP approach is to identify and reach students before police are ever involved. It also assists educators in ruling out drugs as a potential problematic factor in a student’s life. Though not a diagnostic tool, DITEP has the potential to assist professionals in identifying both underlying mental or physical health issues and potentially life-threatening medical conditions. For example, the effects of a concussion suffered on the football field may mimic signs and symptoms consistent with impairment or, as another example, a student experiencing emotional distress may demonstrate similar outward indicators. In DITEP, the student isn’t a problem, but a person who may need guidance and resources to tackle a problem. School administration would implement the policies and procedures necessary to inform and collaborate with the parents or caretakers to provide clear and encompassing strategies to ensure a student’s health and well-being.
Course Content
DITEP training can be taught as a one-day or two-day course, depending on the needs of each school or school district. Day one provides an overview of drugs in society that covers current drug trends and can be tailored to meet specific needs of the region. The class then dives deeper into the subject to provide a knowledge base in identifying general indicators of the varying drug categories found in the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program. This will include a breakdown of the seven drug categories: central nervous system depressants (alprazolam, alcohol, benzodiazepines); central nervous system stimulants (amphetamines, caffeine); hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin); dissociative anesthetics (ketamine, PCP); narcotic analgesics (opiates, fentanyl); inhalants (gasoline, solvents, dextromethorphan); and cannabis.5 Each of these drug categories and drugs can have a vast array of different types of effects on the human body depending on numerous individual factors, and no individual is exactly the same as another in terms of drug effects or drug use indicators. However, there are commonalities that can be observed to facilitate identifying the respective differences.
The second day of training consists of administering psychophysical tests that divide attention in a standardized seven-step assessment process, similar to a standardized field sobriety test. These tests consist of basic instructions that would require both mental and physical attention be given to a specific task. Additionally, observers are trained to recognize clinical indicators of drug use such as pulse, blood pressure, pupil dilation or constriction, the pupil’s reaction to light, and body temperature. These indicators will help the educator or other test administrator in identifying the drug category and whether or not impairment is present. At the conclusion of the assessment, the administrator should be able to determine if there is impairment present and what type of substance may be causing the impairment.
When a situation arises where observations of impairment are made, everyone should know how to proceed. The first day of instruction introduces assessment and referral forms to be provided to the person conducting the assessment. The referral contains general information regarding the student and observed behaviors. If an assessment is deemed necessary the school administration should predetermine who will be conducting the assessment, where and how it takes place, who contacts the parents or guardians (some states have enacted Students’ Rights where the school must contact a parent or guardian before speaking with the student), and how that discussion is conducted. It’s important that the student needs to be part of the discussion, though they may sometimes be reluctant, embarrassed, or ashamed if there is an issue identified. If an impairment has been identified in a student, immediate action is required. Any and all pertinent local and state resources should be available and at the ready. The student will need a solid support system in place in which compassion and support are key.
A valuable strategy is to invite as many school districts in the surrounding areas as possible to participate in the training. This encourages school personnel to engage in open communication as to which substance abuse trends and problems are being observed from district to district, school to school, and even grade to grade. If information of new and emerging trends from one to the next can be disseminated across these distances, it increases awareness in differing regions.
Impact
To judge the efficacy of the DITEP training all participants are encouraged to keep accurate records of assessments. The only data collected in these circumstances reflect the number of personnel trained through the DITEP program, how many assessments are completed, and how many of those assessments ultimately resulted in referrals. These records are exclusively for the purpose of measuring the success of the program and not meant to identify the subject of the assessment, with no sensitive information shared. These records are entirely voluntary though, and self-reporting can be imprecise. As such, it is unclear as to the complete impact the classes can have.
In the author’s experience, it is helpful if the course instructor is afforded an opportunity to discuss and analyze specific trends with those in need of training in order to better understand and assess the needs of the affected community. For example, one school district may be experiencing a significant problem with fentanyl or prescription drugs, while another hundreds of miles away may be facing a significant problem with alcohol and marijuana.
In a class in Colorado City, one educator mentioned he could recall several instances in which he knew a student was not acting appropriately, but he didn’t possess the skills to properly assess whether it was impairment or something else. He wished he had received the training much earlier. In the author’s experience, the training is well received, with some attendees returning for multiple years in a row and others expressing interest in having the classes taught more often.
For local law enforcement agencies, DITEP has been beneficial to the communities they serve. The program provides awareness and education to school administrators, as well as the ability to identify impairment, and creates a path to open and productive community collaboration. DITEP acts as a frontline wherein students can be diverted and offered remedies before poorer choices can be made and law enforcement must intervene. This is one of many steps that can be taken to provide a better, safer learning environment for both students and teachers. d
Notes:
1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Releases.”
2National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Most Reported Substance Use Among Adolescents Held Steady in 2022,” news release, December 15, 2022.
3William J. Clinton, “1996 State of the Union Address,” January 23, 1996.
4International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), “DITEP: Drug Impairment Training for Education Professionals.”
5IACP, “7 Drug Categories.”
Please cite as
Thomas Humphrey, “Drug Impairment Training for Educational Professionals: A Resource for Educators and School Administrators,” Police Chief Online, December 13, 2023.
