Simi Valley High School Students to Receive Student IDs Listing Pregnancy, Drug Abuse Hotlines
When high school students in Simi Valley return to school this fall, they will receive student ID cards that include a list of phone numbers and hotlines for help on issues such as teen pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse, the Los Angeles Times reports. The phone numbers, which will appear on the back of the ID cards, will be for local not-for-profit groups that provide assistance on these issues. The push for the phone numbers was led by the Simi Valley Youth Council, a group of students in Ventura County. In 1999, the group conducted a study revealing that nearly 50% of the teens questioned used illegal drugs and were sexually active. Christina Bobek, chair of the youth council, said, "Sometimes it's hard to talk to a school nurse or counselor, and this way the information would be accessible 24 hours a day" (Ragland, Los Angeles Times, 8/5).
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