READFIELD -- Maranacook-area middle and high school students will have more frequent visits from drug sniffing dogs when they return to class in the fall. And they'll have access to a dedicated phone line they'll be able to call to anonymously report drug and alcohol use.

The measures are part of a new substance abuse prevention strategy the school district is deploying at its schools. The strategy mixes stronger enforcement with a more responsive approach to students' drug- and alcohol-abuse problems, Maranacook Superintendent Rich Abramson said.

The new prevention tactics grew out of a community group the district convened in the winter in response to above-average substance abuse rates by Maranacook students.

The Maranacook district serves students from Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield and Wayne.

A 2008 student survey put drug and alcohol use in the four-town district above state averages in a number of categories, including marijuana use by high school seniors, binge drinking by high school juniors and alcohol use by eighth-grade students.

The district will introduce its new abuse-fighting measures at a September event aimed at connecting parents with resources they can use to discourage their children from using drugs and alcohol. That event will feature an appearance by Maine humorist Gary Crocker.

Beyond more drug sniffing dog visits, Abramson said, students should find the Maranacook's middle and high schools applying the same consequences when students violate drug and alcohol use policies. In the past, consequences have varied by school.

"The kids should see, if they violate the policy at the middle school, it should be handled the same way once they get up to high school," he said.

The district doesn't want its strategy to be entirely punitive, though, Abramson said.

"If a kid needs help because they're using or abusing substances, we need to be a little more creative," he said. "Not that we're going to tolerate that. We're going to make sure they get the help they need."

When students want to report drug and alcohol use and abuse, bullying, or other dangerous behavior by classmates, they'll be able to report it anonymously -- by voice or text message -- to a dedicated phone line.

The district is using a service called SchoolTipline that notifies administrators and, if appropriate, law enforcement agencies when students call in news.

The group that developed the district's drug abuse-fighting strategy included administrators, parents, school board members, a law enforcement representative and other community members.

Members worked with Neill Miner, program manager for substance abuse prevention at the group Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, to determine their abuse-fighting approach.

"What's really exciting to me is they ended up listing out a bunch of things that they're going to be doing," Miner said. "They're attacking it in a comprehensive way."

"You've got them building the skills of kids. You've got them engaging parents. You've got them tightening the rules a little bit," he added. "It's pretty neat."

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435
mstone@centralmaine.com