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To hear that high school students are doing drugs and driving while drinking alcohol is not surprising to Sara Beyer. But to hear the numbers attached to the risky behaviors forces the New Canaan High School freshman's eyes wide open.
"It's just that in Connecticut, especially in New Canaan, you don't expect these things to happen," said Sara, 14. The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reveals what teens are up to nationwide and in Connecticut.
Among the results found, 9.4 percent of state high school students said they rarely or never wore seat belts; 3.9 percent admitted to carrying a weapon on school property; and 59.4 percent said they used a condom during their last sexual intercourse, 24.1 percent used birth control and 7.8 percent used both. Other percentages for state students included: 8.7 percent admitted to driving a vehicle while drinking alcohol; 28.9 percent said they were offered, sold or given illegal drugs on school property; 5.4 percent said they had ever used cocaine; and 3.2 percent admitted to using heroin at least once. The survey polled 2,392 Connecticut high school students.
Sara said she hopes schools will work more on educating kids about risky behaviors but without taking away freedoms like free periods. Her friend Unnur Sigurgersdottir, also 14, said she was not as surprised because she's lived in different places and seen teens exposed to risky behaviors. But she said, "I'm still surprised," because of the town's good reputation.
NCHS Principal Tony Pavia expressed some skepticism about the survey, but he said the figures could open conversations and track trends.
"In our business, it's important that you understand what trends are going on with teenagers," Pavia said. "Part of the educational process is trying to curtail or lessen these risky behaviors. "
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