Clinton council hears SHARP survey results showing declines in youth substance use; coalition seeks community action

Jess Brewer, North Davis coordinator for Communities That Care and a Davis School District community and family engagement coordinator, told the Clinton City Council on March 24 that more than 4,000 students in five northwest Davis County cities took the 2025 SHARP (Student Health Risk Prevention) survey and that past-30-day substance-use rates are declining.

"Past 30 day substance use rates are decreasing among our kids," Brewer said, noting declines across vaping, alcohol and marijuana. She said the survey uses active parent permission, is anonymous, and includes quality-control checks by the contractor, Bach Harrison.

The presentation focused on prevention strategies and local campaigns. Brewer highlighted a social-norms effort designed to correct a misperception she said is widespread among students: they believe far more peers vape than actually do. "Countywide, 97 percent of our Davis County sixth to twelfth graders don't vape," Brewer said, adding that students typically overestimate vaping prevalence by about 10 times.

Brewer described action steps Communities That Care plans to bring to local cities: fund small youth-led projects, expand school and community Red Ribbon Week activities, run a Parents Empowered campaign to boost parental bonding and boundary-setting, partner with local businesses for outreach (she cited a July pilot with Fat Cats in Clinton), and roll out a parent feedback survey in partnership with Davis Behavioral Health soon after spring break.

Council members pressed on methodology and representativeness. Council member Adam Larson asked whether the peer-perception question specified local peers, a school cohort, or broader peers; Brewer said the question asks respondents how many of their peers they think use substances, leaving 'peers' to the respondents' interpretation. Council member Jennifer Christiansen asked about opt-in bias for an active-permission survey; Brewer described the contractor's dishonesty checks and the survey's final-question honesty filter used to exclude unreliable responses.

Members of the public asked logistical questions about parent response fields and funding. Donna Gallegos asked whether parents could enter free-text comments on the parent instrument; Brewer said the parent instrument mixes closed and open items and often includes an 'other' box for typed responses. Brewer said her position is funded by a Drug-Free Communities federal grant through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and that the SHARP survey is supported by state prevention dollars.

Youth council members in attendance also spoke about how peer support, recognition and in-school clubs can be protective factors. Youth attendees suggested peer-to-peer outreach, the SafeUT app for anonymous help, and simple recognition programs to increase students' sense of belonging.

Brewer invited the council and the community to partner on the coalition's campaigns and to support youth-led project grants. She also shared materials and QR links that connect students or families with cessation and support resources.

The council did not take formal action on funding at the meeting; Brewer said follow-up work with city staff and partners would determine participation in community campaigns and scheduling for school-based rollouts.