Reality Tour Partners With Six Butler School Districts    Fall 2008

Norma Norris, Director of the Reality Tour Drug Prevention Program reports that six of Butler's seven school districts are dedicating their 6th grade students and parents to the evening Reality Tour experience. The partnership is termed the Prevention Initiative. South Butler School District piloted the effort in 2005.

The Butler County Commissioners sent a mailing asking all school districts to participate in the Prevention Initiative, noting that substance abuse and addiction are serious problems in the community. National statistics showing that 1 in every 5 eighth graders has tried marijuana and that 40% of high school seniors feel heroin is not too risky to try.  

Mars School Board and Superintendent Pettigrew received a certificate for completing their first year of the Reality Tour 6th grade partnership. The Mars Board praised the program and agreed that the goal to educate parent and child together is an effective strategy. Mars was asked to set their attendance goal at 30%. The Mars Tour will be hosted in the Adams Twp. Municipal Building this year.

Last week South Butler and Moniteau School Boards were awarded participation certificates. Karns City received special recognition for Chicora Elementary's 54% attendance under the guidance of Leadership Butler County.  The Slippery Rock School Board also approved the measure and is dedicating 6th & 7th grade to the program.

Butler School Board acted on the advice of the administration and will not participate but said Norris could reach out independently to 11 PTO's in the district. Norris said it will take about two years to formalize relationships with PTO's due to the staff time involved. 

CANDLE, Inc. has a 5-year goal to educate a significant number of Butler County parents and youth each year in the 6th grade target audience. She feels that true change can occur within the county through this structured approach. Current research shows that the program impacts parent and child and elevates the seriousness of experimentation.

The PA Bureau of Drug and Alcohol recently visited CANDLE's Butler office, along with two federal researchers to further study the Reality Tour design. The University of Pittsburgh's School of Pharmacy completed a study in 2007. gaining acceptance at the national level for the program. There are now 15 PA counties involved in presentations stemming from Butler's original Reality Tour held in July 2003.

The Reality Tour was recently awarded the "Community Crime Prevetnion Program of the Year' by the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners in Denver, Colorado.  

Registration forms are online at www.RealityTour.org  The program is held monthly among 3 presentation sites in the county: Adams Twp. Municipal Building, Butler's YWCA and Slippery Rock University. For more information  PH: 724-679-6612

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