lum that begins in kindergarten and continues through high school. Called “ Here’s Looking at You, 2000,” the course focuses on known risk factors such as having friends that use drugs or living in a family with members who use drugs. The program focuses on dangers of drugs that increase the risks of using other drugs (nicotine, alcohol and m arijuana, for example) and offers clear messages to students to “say no” to drugs. Teaching students how to lead healthy lives in a society which is not drug-free — and identifying and providing support to students who h av e d ru g - an d a lc o h o l-a b u s e problems are goals of the Portland School D istrict’s education and pre vention programs. Raising student awareness of the dangers of drugs and alcohol and training staff members to recognize and help students who are addicted is not enough, however. M ore needs exist for drug-and- alcohol prevention than the school district and com m unity are now addressing. The objective now is to find new — and better — means of meeting those needs. BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS Portland’s aging physical plant embraces an investment of close to $1 billion, representing more than 100 school buildings spread over 152 square miles. No new school buildings are con tem plated, even though Portland’s stu d e n t e n ro llm en t o f 53,000 is expected to increase slightly in the next few years. And, thanks to efficiencies and financial planning, a long-range program of restoration, renovation and m ajor maintenance is expected to accom m odate the school district’s needs for the next five years. FACING NEW CHALLENGES AIDS America’s public school systems and their A ID S victims students and staff members — have been traumatized because of public hysteria about the complex disease. Children, innocent recipients of contam inated blood transfusions, have been ostracized and denied access to classrooms. Their family homes have been torched to match mass ignorance surrounding past “plagues.” The Portland School District is determined to avoid those disruptions and agonies by stressing confiden tiality and protecting the health and safety of all stu d e n ts and sta ff members. The superintendent, school board chairperson, county and state health officials in September acknowledged the existence of A ID S cases in Portland Public Schools — and the certainty of more cases in the future. Since that time, the school district has been holding A IDS workshops for all employees, involving staff and com m unity health specialists and stressing facts, safety m ethods and valid information sources. The school district also has devel oped special kits, including sterile gloves, for distribution to all school employees for use in first-aid or clean-up circum stances involving blood and other body fluids. O regon’s new A ID S curriculum is being introduced through teacher workshops and physicians and other health specialists will be used as inform ation sources for students, staff members and parents. CHILD ABUSE R eports of child abuse, rising alarmingly during the past few years, are high priorities to Portland Public S c h o o ls ’ ow n la w -e n fo rc e m e n t agency. Last year 712 suspected cases were reported, an increase of nearly 200 cases from the previous year. School police officers attribute some of that startling increase to improved aware nesses in students and staff members about child abuse. Approxim ately 90-95 percent of all suspected child-abuse cases are confirmed, according to Portland School Police statistics. The tragedy in those statistics prom pted devel opm ent of strict regulations concern ing the reporting of suspected abuse cases. Portland School District policies require any school employee dis covering possible abuse or apparent neglect involving a student to report those circumstances to the school police. D uring school hours, a school police officer responds in person to such calls from school personnel, concerned friends, neighbors or anony mous callers. The officer then interviews the stu dent to determine if charges are valid. Following the interview, the officer decides if the abused student should be tak e n into protective custody. School police officers call the Oregon Children’s Serv ices Division/ Child Protective Services(CSD/CPS) to report abuse cases and arrange for protective care. If em ergency m edical care is needed, school police officers trans port the abused students to hospitals or clinics before delivering them to the shelter-care homes. Portland School Police officers receive ongoing training in handling child-abuse and sexual-abuse cases. Officers recently joined other state and local police officers and C SD personnel from three states in a conference sponsored by the federal governm ent concerning the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. GANGS__________ The impact of youth-gang violence is staggering. Police estimate nearly 20 m onthly incidents of gang-related crimes and violence on Portland streets. Though those figures do not repre sent an “epidem ic” of gang activity, they do call for immediate preventa tive actions by the Portland School D is tric t a n d o th e r c o m m u n ity agencies. Portland Public Schools has joined efforts to counter gang activities in and around schools. C onstant m oni toring of suspected gang members and gang activities by school law-_ enforcement officers combines with new curriculum aimed at taking the “glam our” out of youth gangs in districtwide efforts to prevent out breaks of violence. School police gather and share inform ation on youth gangs with school principals and staff members as well as other law-enforcement agencies on the West Coast. A tten dance at regional and international conferences on gang activities keeps school police officers up to date on gang m ovem ents and prevention methods. Students at all grade levels — with particular emphasis in elementary schools — in regular counseling- and-guidance program s learn the impacts of illegal activities on them selves and their families. Students in Grades 4, 5 and 7 are learning to choose positive alterna tives to gang m em bership in newly developed coursework that ties to existing activities emphasizing con fidence-building, personal aw areness, problem-solving and peer pressure. P o rtla n d P ublic Schools staff members are studying gangs and m aintaining ongoing cooperation with the Northeast Com m unity Task- Force on Youth Gangs. The school district also is devel oping prevention activities to help stop the recruitm ent of youths into gangs and provides inform ation and training to principals and counselors in high schools and middle schools. •»