GARDINER -- When Gardiner Area High School students noted in surveys they felt unsafe at school, teachers began to filter into the school's lobby and cafeteria, where hundreds of students gather to await the school day's start.

"Now they're working the room and checking in on kids," Principal Chad Kempton told School Administrative District 11 Board members Thursday night. "It's really become a quick turn-around."

"It was a different atmosphere," board member Marc Cone said, "and it was very noticeable."

The increase in supervision early in the day came as a result of a district-wide academic audit SAD 11 administrators, parents, teachers, Board members and two University of Maine education experts recently undertook.

A specially formed audit committee shared its findings and recommendations with board members in January after beginning to meet in 2006. On Thursday, Kempton and Gardiner Regional Middle School Principal Art Warren told board members what teachers and administrators were doing in their schools to carry out the recommendations.

SAD 11 serves students in Gardiner, Pittston, Randolph and West Gardiner.

"It's been a long process," Warren said.

After the audit, the middle school will shift to a six-class period day, switching from its current seven-period schedule, Warren said.

Middle school staff members had already planned to eventually transfer to the six-period format before the audit began, Warren said.

"The audit report gave it further impetus," he said. "That's immediate and it's ready to go."

Both principals said teachers will begin to work more closely together to plan curriculum and evaluate each other's performance. In response to student survey suggestions, teachers will focus on making lessons more hands-on and more relevant to life outside of school, the principals said.

"Whenever there are opportunities, we're going to continue to build that repertoire," Kempton said. The audit findings also spurred Gardiner Area High School administrators to tighten building security, especially during the afternoon period after classes have ended and before adult education classes have begun, Kempton said. Security cameras now stream to adult education administrators' laptop computers.

Kempton also recommended to board members that the high school adopt a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy. The high school currently has a two-strike system in place.

Under a new policy, Kempton said, students who bring illegal drugs to school would be immediately referred to the superintendent for expulsion.

"The message was sent that we do not want illegal drugs and marijuana in school," Kempton said. "We're going to step up efforts to reduce that activity."

Warren lamented that the audit examined only the district's middle and high schools, and not the districts five elementary schools.

"I think we missed an opportunity," he said. "But now we have a path to go down if we ever do it," board chairman Dick Rogers said.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, Ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com