A study by the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics found that the number of teenagers abusing drugs in the United States increased drastically in recent years, putting a spotlight on how students dealing with addiction get an education.
Some students engaged in serious drug abuse may miss a lot of classes or even drop out for years, leaving them far behind their peers and with limited options available to catch up to where they need to be to earn a high school diploma.
In North Texas, however, one campus has been working for years to provide students in recovery with a place to get their education back on track. Serenity High School in McKinney ISD serves “adolescents returning from recognized substance abuse treatment centers who are committed to obtaining a high school diploma in a safe and supportive, chemical-free environment,” according to its mission statement.
Dean of Students Allie Long told The Dallas Morning News, “They’re coming to school and hanging out with other people that are like minded and want to be sober as well. While the temptation is great, it’s a lot greater at a large school where kids aren’t sober. We’ve developed a recovery community, and it’s about accountability and a safe space.”
The specialized recovery school partners with other North Texas school districts to provide students in recovery with the support needed to finish out their schooling. Such districts include Allen ISD, Anna ISD, Blue Ridge ISD, Celina ISD, Community ISD, Frisco ISD, Lewisville ISD, Melissa ISD, Pilot Point ISD, Plano ISD, Tioga ISD, and Wylie ISD.
“It helped me get on the right track. If I just left rehab and I didn’t go [to Serenity], I probably wouldn’t be here where I am right now. I’d probably still be using because I’d still be around those old friends,” said a recent Serenity High graduate only identified as Brady, DMN reported.
Drug use among youth has been a serious problem in North Texas for quite some time, with Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD making headlines over the last year due to the alarming number of fentanyl overdoses that have occurred in the district since September 2022. At least three children enrolled in the district died from taking the drug, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The circulation of drugs has been especially bad in Dallas proper, which saw an 11.5% year-over-year increase in reported drug offenses during the first four months of 2023, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard. Reliable, up-to-date crime statistics for Dallas are currently unavailable, allegedly due to a purported ransomware attack that targeted City computer servers more than two months ago.
