Birmingham Students to Take Drug, Alcohol Survey

A confidential drug and alcohol survey will be distributed to students at both high schools and middle schools this week and next.

The survey, sponsored by the Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition (BBCC), is meant to capture a timely representation of what is happening with Birmingham students, identify potential substance use behaviors and beliefs and track the progress of substance abuse prevention efforts.

All students in Grades 8-12 at Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills schools will be asked to participate in the fourth biannual survey, which will include many of the questions used in the Michigan Alcohol and Other Drugs School Survey. High school students will take the survey Friday, while middle school students will participate Wednesday.

In an email sent to parents, Principal Debbie Hubbell said the questions will reflect trends seen in the past few years. Specifically, the survey will evaluate the following areas:

• Community norms and perceptions of substance abuse
• Economic and cultural conditions
• Marijuana legalization. 

Students will also be asked about the key influences on the decision to use, or not use, drugs or alcohol. Student answers are anonymous, and names will not be used, Hubbell said.

The BBCC is an organization run by parents and teens in the Birmingham and Bloomfield area dedicated to educating young people about drugs and alcohol. The group was recently received one of only 87 Drug Free Community Support Program Matching Grants from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The grant will award the BBCC $125,000 in federal funds per year for five years.

If parents or students wish to opt out of the survey, they are instructed to fill out an opt-out form emailed to them by their school's principal.