Dr. LaVelle Hendricks, Dr. Arthur J. Borgemenke, Dr. Maria Hinojosa - Published in the NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL, Volume 30, Number 1, 2012-2013 - Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS, www.nationalforum.com - NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS

1. NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL
VOLUME 30, NUMBER 1, 2012-2013
BEYOND ALCOHOL AND NICOTINE:
RAISING AWARENESS LEVELS OF
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
TO SYNTHETIC DRUGS
LaVelle Hendricks
Arthur J. Borgemenke
Maria Hinojosa
Texas A&M University-Commerce
ABSTRACT
Synthetic drugs have become an increasing health and safety issue in schools
across the United States. K2 or Spice (Synthetic marijuana) and bath salts
(pseudo methamphetamines/cocaine) have become the drugs of choice among
school-aged children. The low cost and ability of anyone to purchase legally are
two of the major reasons for the proliferation of the drugs. School
administrators are battling to stay informed, raise awareness, and initiate
programs to prevent use and abuse of these dangerous substances.
Introduction
T he purpose of this article is to provide pK-12 school
administrators with information about the new wave of
synthetic drugs invading school campuses. Synthetic drugs (K2
and bath salts) are readily available to all school-aged children
throughout the nation. These new drugs are formulated by street
chemists who prey on the vulnerability and naiveté of youngsters.
This article is intended to inform school officials about the dangers
posed to students by the use and abuse of these easily procured
synthetic drugs.
45

2. 46NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL
Synthetic Drugs: The New Challenge
The war against drugs on school campuses has been an
ongoing battle for many decades. With every new school year new
threats to the health and safety of school children complicate this
continuous fight. In just the last several years, two new synthetic drugs
have raised major concerns among school districts throughout the
nation. Although several states have taken action to make synthetic
drugs such as K2, spice (synthetic marijuana) and bath salts (pseudo
methamphetamine and pseudo cocaine) illegal for sale, school districts
continue to fight to protect their students from these dangerous
products that remain widely available. “According to data from the
2011 Monitoring the Future survey of youth drug-use trends, 11.4 %
of 12th graders used spice or K2 in the past year, making it the second
most commonly used illicit drug among seniors” (The White House
Office on National Drug Control, 2012).
K2 or spice is a synthetic drug composed of a wide variety of
herbal mixtures. Although the product packaging states “not for
human consumption” many are using the product as an alternative to
marijuana. Labels found on the packaging state that Spice product
contains “„natural” psycho-active material taken from a variety of
plants” (“DrugFacts,” 2012, para. 2). The product, when smoked or
sprinkled over food, causes the user to experience the same effect as to
having smoked marijuana. The majority of the products sold as spice
are marketed as a safe alternative to the drug – marijuana. Because the
chemical composition of the product varies widely, it is possible that
with all the different varieties sold, the product may contain
substances that are much more dangerous that the actual drug.Spice
products, typically labeled “not for human consumption,” are popular
among teens and young adults because anyone of any age can still
purchase them in many places.

3. LaVelle Hendricks, Arthur J. Borgemenke,& Maria Hinojosa 47
Raising Awareness for School Administrators
School districts throughout the nation are reporting an increase
in incidents involving Spice (“DrugFacts,” 2012). Many school
administrators have taken notice of these synthetic drugs and
implemented proactive plans of action. The Coolidge Unified School
District in Coolidge, Arizona has developed a brochure to distribute in
their schools and to their community to make everyone aware of the
dangers in drug use specifically targeting synthetic drugs. The
brochure, “Synthetic Drugs: A New Danger to our Students” explains
what spice is, the dangers of using it, and what signs and symptoms to
watch for (“Synthetic Drugs,” 2011).
The Coolidge Unified School District‟s brochure also includes
information on a fairly new synthetic drug known as bath salt. This
new product is sold legally on the Internet and can be found in drug
paraphernalia stores. Although bath salt is fairly new and the true
chemical composition of the product is unknown, the effects of using
them have been compared to that of methamphetamine and cocaine.
The school district in Coolidge has taken action to educate not only the
students but the parents and the community as well. Their brochure
includes the school district‟s Synthetic Drug Use Policy and lists the
signs and symptoms of using these products (“Synthetic Drugs,”
2011).
In Augusta County Virginia, the Augusta County Sheriff‟s
Office has teamed up with the Augusta County Public Schools to
address the increase of bath salt use among the youth in their schools.
By working together with the sheriff‟s office, the school board
members are looking for ways to educate students about the danger of
using bath salt. The students are their number one priority according to
Sgt. Rick Modlin of the August County Sheriff‟s Office. However, the
more people involved in this effort the better (Tice, 2012).
The effects of the recent nationwide economic downturn have
not left educational drug awareness programs unscathed. School

4. 48NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL
districts faced with the difficult decision of cutting curriculum
programs or drug awareness and prevention programs are many times
choosing the latter. Recently, a school district in Michigan was faced
with just such a choice. Ashley Hoomstra, Drug Awareness and
Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Youth Advisory Board
Representative from Michigan detailed just an incident. The Michigan
school district in which she worked had targeted the D.A.R.E. program
for budget cuts. An organized effort by teachers, students and
community members managed to save the program from termination
(“D.A.R.E.,” 2012). Raising the awareness of all stakeholders
involved in the school about the continuing threats drugs pose to our
children resulted in the salvaging of one program that has shown
levels of success in addressing the ongoing drug problem.
Drug use is not the only new threat in schools today. Challenge
fads also endanger the health of our children. These self-inflicted
challenges attract young thrill-seekers to dare each other to perform
dangerous stunts. They include the cinnamon challenge, where
students eat large amounts of dry cinnamon in short periods of time,
and the ice and salt challenge, where children place ice and salt on
parts of their bodies and see how long they can endure the pain
(Collins, 2012). These activities, in and out of school, are creating
major concerns within school districts around the nation. These
dangerous fads have gained popularity as youngsters post videos of the
challenges via the Internet on social media sites. Despite all the
warnings from health professionals, individuals of all ages continue to
take the cinnamon challenge and perform the ice and salt challenge.
Many schools are trying to find ways to discourage their students from
partaking in these challenges. Students know of the challenge because
of the Internet but most parents may be clueless. The Bridgewater-
Raynham Regional School District in New Jersey has sent letters
home to the parents of their students advising them of this new fad and
encouraging the parents to talk to their children of the danger involved
(Varma-White, 2012).
The Pottstown School District in Pottstown, Pennsylvania has

5. LaVelle Hendricks, Arthur J. Borgemenke,& Maria Hinojosa 49
put a ban on open-top boots in an attempt to stop students from
smuggling in vials of cinnamon into the school to take the cinnamon
challenge on campus (Keates, 2012). Some school districts and school
administrators may still be in the dark about this “challenge”. In New
Haven, Connecticut, a school principal was placed on administrative
leave after she witnessed students taking the cinnamon challenge in
the school cafeteria and made no attempt to stop it (“Conn. Principal
on Leave,” 2012).
Treatment and Prevention
With the emergence of new synthetic drugs and challenge fads,
school districts and school administrators are finding themselves
scrambling in their attempts to adequately address these issues
threatening their students. With the help of their local law enforcement
agencies as well as state and government departments of public safety
and health and human services, they are getting the word out and the
message across to not just students but to parents and the community
(“Information about Bath Salts,” 2011). In June of 2012, both the US
House of Representatives and the US Senate passed S. 3187. This bill
has classified all of the chemicals used to make K2 (spice) and bath
salts as Schedule I substances. Schedule I substances are those that
have no clear medical use and also have a high probability of abuse
(The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2012).
While this action by Congress is a promising development, school
administrators must remain vigilant for signs of these drugs. Large
supplies still exist and may still find their way into the hands of
children who may abuse the dangerous substances.
Conclusions and Implications
School administrators face a continuous onslaught of threats to
the students in their charge. Educational leaders must continuously
update their knowledge bases about new drugs and other threats to

6. 50NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL
children on school campus. All stakeholders in the educational process
need to participate in becoming proactive about treating and
preventing use and abuse of new drugs
such as K2, spice and bath salts.

7. LaVelle Hendricks, Arthur J. Borgemenke,& Maria Hinojosa 51
REFERENCES
Collins, L. M. (2012, July). Salt and ice another dangerous challenge
attracting kids. Deseret News. Retrieved from
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865558429/Salt-and-ice-
another-dangerous challenge-attracting-kids.html?pg=all
Conn. principal on leave after witnessing students take ‘Cinnamon
Challenge’ at lunch.(2012,February 1). Retrieved from
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57369549-
5040083/conn-principal-on-leave-after-witnessing-students-
take-the-cinnamon-challenge-at-Lunch/
D.A.R.E. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.dare.com/home/hometowndareusa/storypage8a77.asp
DrugFacts: Spice, synthetic marijuana. (2012, May). Retrieved from
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/spice-
synthetic-marijuana
Information about bath salts for school personnel. (2011, August 17).
Retrieved
fromhttp://www.maine.gov/education/sh/bathsalts.html
Keates, N. (2012, March 15). Just a spoonful of cinnamon makes the
Internet rounds. The WallStreet Journal, p. E20.
Synthetic drugs: A new danger to our students. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.hs.collidgeschools.org/filestore/SyntheticDrugBroc
hure_Coolidge.pdf
Tice, R. (2012, April 11). Bath salt classes for county schools.
Retrieved from
http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Bath_Salt_Classes_for_
147055205.html
Varma-White, K. (2012, March 28). Poison centers warn about
cinnamon challenge. Retrieved from
http://moms.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/17/107215
41-poison-center-warn-about-cinnamon-challenge?lite
The White House Office on Drug Coordination Policy. (2012).
Synthetic drugs: (a.k.a., K2, spice and bath salts). Retrieved
from http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/ondcp-fact-
sheets/synthetic-drugs-k2-spice-bath-salts