Some sobering numbers about Durham's middle and high school students lead Durham County's chairwoman to call for a summit of community leaders.

County Commissioner Ellen Reckhow called for the meeting after reviewing a recent youth behavior risk survey. The the survey found 28.7 percent of middle school students had carried a weapon to school at some point. The report showed that 18 percent of the students surveyed had thought seriously about killing themselves.

In high school, 35 percent of the students surveyed (mostly ninth graders) reported they, at some point, used marijuana. More than 45 percent had been in a physical fight within the last year.

During Monday's brainstorming session, leaders say they must address students' needs both inside and out of school.

"We're going to be looking at a whole draft of strategies to try to again encourage our young people to choose how to be healthy, and feel better about themselves," Reckhow said.

Reckhow said she was working with school leaders in the "at-risk" areas in Durham to implement health-club style programs after school. Reckhow said the programs would give kids a healthy alternative to an unhealthy lifestyle. She cited findings that many students watched five or more hours of television a day.

Durham School Board Vice Chair Stephen Schewel said the meeting, at the Lyons Community Center in Durham, was a necessary step for community leaders.

"We'll have a few common strategies, a few common goals that we can all commit to," Schewel said.

For most, healthy living was a priority. Leaders agreed that students needed non-competitive alternatives to get involved in while at school.

Schewel says the school board will begin using some of the suggestions from the summit immediately. Reckhow says she hopes to see new programs developed by next school year.

Related Links

1. http://www.healthydurham.org/stateofcounty/index.php#yrbs