One student can make a difference in the battle against drugs in the community! That’s the message students at Pepperell High School are sending to their peers.  Not only are the students sending the message but they are doing it in a method that their peers can understand.  The PHS students are encouraging other teens to put their cell phone and text messaging skills to good use. Teens in the Floyd County area can now call or text message The Teen Report Line at (706) 252-1031 to anonymously report any activity involving drugs.  The new tip line is completely confidential and can be accessed 24-hours-a-day.

The Teen Report Line number is the result of a partnership between the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), Pepperell High School’s chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.), Sprint Nexcom of Georgia, Promotions Plus, Lamar Advertising and Floyd County Sheriff Tim Burkhalter’s Youth Initiative program. The goal of the partnership is to provide teens in Rome and Floyd County an outlet for reporting information about any drug activity in their community. All confidential reports coming through the tip line are forwarded to the Rome/Floyd County Metro Drug Task Force for law enforcement follow-ups.

Pepperell High School’s S.A.D.D. advisor Alana Ellenburg understands that the key to the report line concept is appealing to the way teenagers think. With the current popularity of text messaging, Ellenburg said, “Teens can confidentially report any drug activity they witness as easily as if casting a vote for their favorite American Idol contestant.”  S.A.D.D. students at PHS have also created a profile for the Teen Report Line on MySpace, the social networking site frequented by millions of teens all across the country.  Now, anyone with a MySpace account can post confidential comments on the page or send the group a private email message at www.myspace.com/teenreportline.  “We are trying to keep up with how kids are communicating,” said Ellenburg. “The kids are the ones who know where the drugs are. With the Teen Report Line, it doesn’t put any pressure on them because it’s anonymous. The biggest thing is it’s non-threatening.”

The S.A.D.D. chapter at Pepperell High School was established three years ago with 41 members. The membership has grown to 85 students, all of whom have a mission to provide their peers with the best prevention and intervention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, illegal drug use, impaired driving and other destructive decisions.  Students in Pepperell’s S.A.D.D. chapter also recognize the effects of drugs and the consequences experienced by their peers. Club officer Storme Jordan said, “Many [students] drop out of school because of their addiction to drugs. Kids and teens are greatly influenced by the growth and availability of drugs in their everyday lives.”  The group, which is the only school S.A.D.D. chapter in Floyd County, meets monthly and coordinates positive decision-making activities, for Red Ribbon Week, prom and homecoming.

Floyd County Sheriff Tim Burkhalter, himself a graduate of Pepperell High School, reports information from the tip line has already led to arrests. He also credits Floyd County teens for reporting other criminal incidents such as domestic abuse and gang activity. Burkhalter believes in the continuing success of the anonymous report line.  “It works,” says Burkhalter. “The Teen Report Line is a valuable tool in the criminal justice field here in Floyd County and we’re very fortunate to have this partnership with Pepperell High School and the students in S.A.D.D.”

At the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Director Bob Dallas commended the community and especially its young people for taking a proactive approach to help curb illegal drug use and make Floyd County’s homes, schools and roads safer in the process.  “The Teen Report Line has the potential to not only disrupt illegal drug activity, but also to avoid the stigma kids often associate with reporting anything about their peers to authorities,” Dallas said. “It’s unfortunate a life line like this is needed in any community, but it’s a step in the right direction toward making an entire town safer.”

For more information on the Teen Report Line, contact Pepperell High School S.A.D.D. Advisor Alana Ellenburg at aellenburg@floydboe.net or call (706) 236-1844. The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office can also be reached at (706) 291-4111, ext. 871. For more information about the S.A.D.D. program in Georgia and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, contact GOHS Planner Barbara Jones at bjones@gohs.ga.gov or call 404-657-9246.