Detailed Report
on Released Time
Evaluation
RELEASED 
TIME!
Released Time Program Statistics . . . Since the time that the United States Supreme Court banned school prayer in the 1962 Engel v. Vitale case and banned school Bible reading in the 1963 cases of Abington v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett, our nation has experienced increasing pregnancy rates, drug use, violence, and divorce. The suicide rate for teens has doubled since 1968 and ten percent of adolescent boys and twenty percent of girls have attempted suicide. Only a portion of these are successful attempts. Latest figures from 1994 show over 10,000 actual suicides in the age category between 15 - 24. Every day, 135,000 students bring guns to school, and homicide is the leading cause of death among 15-19 year-old blacks. After having remained statistically stable for years, since the removal of religious principles in 1962-63, the number of violent crimes has now surpassed population growth by 794 percent, causing the United States to become the world's leader in violent crime. For decades prior to the 1962-63 court decisions, birth rates for unwed teen girls ages
15 to 19 had remained relatively stable with an average 15 births per 1000. Since that
time, birth rates for unwed girls in that age category have now increased every year since
1963. Latest 1993 figures showed 45 births per 1000. Additionally, birth rates for girls
ages 10-14 have increased 553 percent since the removal of religious principles from our
schools. Sexually transmitted diseases in high school age students had been on the decline
between the years 1955 until 1963 showing between 14 to 18 cases of STD's per 100.000
students. After 1963, beginning primarily about 1966, STD's took a giant leap upward.
Rates went steadily upward to 55 cases per 100,000, then there was a slight downturn for
four years. Rates then shot back up to 66 cases of STD's per 100,000 high school age
students by 1989. Again there was a downturn, and the 1993 figures show 54 cases per
100,000 students.
National Parents' Resource Institute for Drug
Education The following information was taken from a study conducted during the 1995-96 school year and involved 129,560 students from 26 states. The PRIDE Survey represents data from sixth through twelfth grade students conducted between September and June of the school year. This was PRIDE's ninth annual survey of students and results found that drug use was at the highest level since the survey began in 1987-88. Record percentages of use were reported for marijuana, cocaine, uppers, downers, inhalants, hallucinogens, and cigarettes. * Nationwide, 40.8% of seniors used an illicit drug in the past year (not including alcohol). * More than one in four high school seniors (26.5%) used an illicit drug once a month or more often during the past school year. * Almost one in ten seniors (8.4%) used an illicit drug daily. * More than a quarter of seniors admitted weekly alcohol use (25.8%). Almost half of the senior class (46.4%) admit monthly alcohol use. * In addition, 7.1% seniors used cocaine in the past year; 11.6% used uppers; 12.1% used hallucinogens, and 3.5% used heroin. * In the past year, the sharpest increase came in junior high (grades 6-8) marijuana use which rose from 9.5% annual use to 13.6% - a 43% increase. * Overall, for grades 6-12, PRIDE found that 29.5% of all students surveyed reported annual use of at least one illicit drug. * Nationwide, 12.4% joined a gang during the school year. * Over one fourth of the students surveyed (25.2%) said they had been in trouble with the police during the school year. EVERY DAY IN AMERICA 1,000 unwed teenage girls become mothers The average child in an average week spends 33 hours in school, 20 hours watching television, 15 minutes with parents, and the average churched child spends 1.5 hours in a religious activity. Source: Josh McDowell Ministries STATISTICS by ALCOHOL USE: Nationally, 80.4% of students (grades 9-12) have tried alcohol. Nearly one third of these students first drank alcohol (other than a few sips) before 13 years of age. Nationwide, 32.6% of students had had five or more drinks of alcohol on at least one occasion during the 30 days preceding the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (i.e., episodic heavy drinking). In Tennessee, episodic heavy drinking was reported by 27.1% of students. Also during this 30 day period, more than one third (38.8%) of students had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol and 15.4% of students had driven a vehicle after drinking alcohol. Male students in grade 12 (32%) were significantly more likely to drive after drinking alcohol than students in grades 9-11. MARIJUANA USE: Nationwide, 42.4% of students have tried marijuana (Tennessee - 40.4%) and 7.6% try the drug before age 13. During the 30 days preceding the survey, 25.3% of students reported marijuana use. INHALANT USE: One fifth of students (20.3%) reported they had sniffed glue, breathed the contents of aerosol spray cans, or inhaled paint sprays to get high. In Tennessee, it was 22.8%. VARIOUS ILLEGAL-DRUG USE: Nationwide, 16% of students reported use of other illegal drugs such as LSD, PCP, ecstasy, mushrooms, speed, ice, or heroin. In Tennessee, this was reported to be 13.5%. Nearly one third (32.1%) of students had been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property during the 12 months preceding the survey. (CBS Evening News with Dan Rather reports that between the years 1992-1995, teen drug use (ages of 12-17) has risen 78%. Marijuana use has risen 105%.) SEXUAL INTERCOURSE: Nationwide, more than half (53.1%) of all high school students had experienced sexual intercourse. In Tennessee, 60.5% of the students reported having had sexual intercourse. Almost half of the sexually active students (45.6%) do not use condoms. The percentage of students who had initiated sexual intercourse before 13 years of age was 9%. The percentage of students nationwide who had had sexual intercourse with four or more sex partners was 17.8%. In Tennessee, this average was even higher at 23.8%. (Approximately 1 million pregnancies occur each year among adolescents. More than 10 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) occur each year among persons 15-29 years of age, at least 2.5 million of these are among adolescents. - additional data by a joint Commission formed by the National Association of State Boards of Education and the American Medical Association.) (Since Roe v. Wade, there have been over 25 million abortions in the USA.) CARRYING A WEAPON: One fifth (20%) of students nationwide had carried a weapon (e.g., gun, knife, or club) during the 30 days preceding the survey. Overall, male students (12.3%) were significantly more likely than female students to have carried a gun. The prevalence of weapon-carrying on school property during the 30 days preceding the survey was 9.8% nationwide. In Tennessee, this figure was reported to be 12.4%. The prevalence of students who had been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the 12 months preceding the survey was 8.4%. FIGHTING: Among students nationwide, 38.7% had been in a physical fight during the 12 months preceding the survey and for 15.5% of students surveyed, these fights took place on school property. In Tennessee, 13.4% of students reported being in fights on school property. SUICIDE: Nearly one fourth (24.1%) of students nationwide had seriously considered suicide during the 12 months preceding the survey with 17.7% actually making a specific plan to attempt the act. Nationwide, 8.7% actually attempted suicide during these 12 months and 2.8% resulted in injury or death. In Tennessee, 10.5% attempted suicide. CIGARETTE USE: Nationwide, 71.3% of students have tried cigarette smoking. More than one third (34.8%) are current smokers. In Tennessee, 35.3% were current smokers. Habitual smokers were 16.1% of the students surveyed across the nation. For further information or to sign upplease call: (423)378-4863 or  Tennessee Released Time Christian Education P. O. Drawer 6 Kingsport, TN 37662 BETTER KIDS MAKE BETTER SCHOOLS! |