Summary: When the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act was enacted in 1994, about 3 million thefts and violent crimes occurred at schools each year--nearly 16,000 incidents per school day. About one in five high school students regularly carried a firearm, knife, razor, club, or other weapon. After declining in the 1980s, drug use among school-age youth increased between 1992 and 1995 for many types of drugs. For example, one study reported that marijuana use by eighth graders more than doubled and use by high school seniors rose from 22 percent to 35 percent. Since 1986, the federal government has awarded more than $4 billion to help states implement school-based drug- and violence- prevention programs. This report discusses (1) the accountability measures required by the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act at the federal, state, and local levels; (2) the Department of Education's oversight of state and local programs; (3) how state education agencies ensure local programs' compliance with the act; and (4) how Safe and Drug-Free Schools funding is specifically used at the state and local levels.
