Youth and Parents to Converge on Capitol Hill to Ask Congress to Save the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program.

Byline: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America

WASHINGTON, June 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) today released the following advisory.

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WHAT: Youth and parents from Virginia and West Virginia will take to the halls of Congress on Thursday, June 18, to deliver petitions asking Congress to save the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) Program, the only source of federal funding available to every school district in the nation for school-based drug and violence prevention. Wearing shirts that say "SOS: Save our Drug Free Schools," youth will deliver petitions that contain nearly 4,000 signatures from organizations and individuals around the nation to all members of the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittees, as well as key Administration officials.

WHY: The SDFSC program is the nation's safety net for youth drug and violence prevention and currently serves more than 37 million youth per year. The Administration's proposed FY 2010 budget would zero out the State Grants portion of the SDFSC program. It also proposes to fund a new $100 million competitive national grant program, which would result in only a small number of youth receiving vital and cost effective prevention services. If these proposals are accepted by Congress, most school districts in the nation could be left without a substance ...