New program will support middle schoolers with history of substance abuse

Research shows that kids may start experimenting with substances around ages 11 or 12. But many substance use programs don’t serve people that young. Now an Indianapolis program will serve middle school kids with a history of substance abuse before they enter high school. 

Hope Academy serves at least 25 high schools in and around Marion County. Their new Middle School Prevention Program is open to students statewide who have reported vaping or using alcohol, nicotine or drugs.

Linda Gagyi, the director of special projects at Hope Academy, said the one-day program will occur once or twice a month.

“The goal is to get them as early as we can so that we can help provide them [with] support and help them skill build, so that they can get to being successful soon,” Gagyi said.

Last year, 2% of 6th graders reported using prescription drugs without a prescription. Marijuana use among 6th grade students also increased from 1% in 2022 to 1.4% in 2024, according to a spring 2024 survey of over 60,000 Indiana 7th-12th grade students conducted by Indiana University’s School of Public Health-Bloomington. 

Over the years, Gagyi said many parents and school district employees have contacted her and described experiences with teens who were getting caught using drugs and alcohol. They would ask if there was a program to support middle school students who were using substances. 

But there wasn’t — until now, she said. 

A recovery coach will facilitate the program using a curriculum that Gagyi developed based on a research-based curriculum from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Students will be guided through workbook activities and group discussions as they’re educated on different substances, how they affect the body and the brain and informed decision making skills. 

Parents are required to participate during the last two hours of the program to discuss how to implement different parameters around substance usage. That includes learning how to tell if a child is high and how guardians should respond in those instances. 

 “It’s a big job raising teenagers, and it's a very difficult job in today's world with everything that our kids are facing,” Gagyi said. “And our families often  just don't have the basic knowledge or background on substances and what's out there — what it looks like, how it's delivered.”

Recruiting students to attend has been difficult, Gagyi said. Stigmas around substance use may cause kids and parents to believe this level of intervention isn’t needed. 

Additionally, recent snow and freezing temperatures has led to school closures, and made it harder for school employees to identify students. Some students may have been identified as using substances during the fall, but once a student completes their "punishment" — such as school suspension or mandated counseling — their record typically resets.  

The Indiana High School Athletic Association and other organizations can complete randomized drug screens in high schools, according to Gagyi. But those tests typically aren’t performed in middle schools, making it even harder to find younger children who are already vaping or using other substances. 

“We know the kids are out there,” Gagyi said. “It's just getting them to us so that we can help direct them onto a more successful path.”

Parents, school staff and mental health providers can learn more about the program by contacting Hope Academy’s Director of Outreach, Adam Teal, at ateal@hopeacademyrhs.org or call the school at 317-512-6862.

Contact WFYI Health Reporter Elizabeth Gabriel at egabriel@wfyi.org