Arlington Public Schools announced the start of its “Second Chance” program Wednesday, a new program that will allow students caught with alcohol or drugs for the first time to attend a three-day intervention without suspension.
Starting in September, students who have committed a substance abuse misdemeanor under Virginia law will be eligible for referral to the program. The school system expects 200 students to use the program in the next year.
The program is a two-year pilot that officials hope will become a model for the rest of the nation. It will cost $200,000, of which $130,000 was funded by the Arlington County Board.
A 2010 study by the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families said that 76 percent of Arlington teens try alcohol or marijuana before leaving high school.
