Ohio schools may expand their anti-drug message to students. It's one of the new proposals from Attorney General Mike DeWine aimed at helping the children of opiate addicts. But some members of the Ohio Board of Education remember past drug education failures.

Anti-drug classes in the 1970s unintentionally taught kids how to take drugs, not prevent them. It happened again in the 90s. That鈥檚 why school board member wondered about ramping up these classes again.

鈥淚鈥檝e talked to some former instructors from . who even discouraged that as the means of communication for the drug problem--  feeling like, retrospectively, it may have contributed to the problem.鈥�

But programs like D.A.R.E. have a new way of doing things, according to Amy O'Grady from the state attorney general's office.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e actually changed the curriculum to allow a lot more social- and emotional-learning curriculum, particularly in the lower grade levels," O'Grady says.

Social and emotional learning are meant to teach children how to make good decisions. O鈥橤rady says every district can try its own method of drug prevention, but the Attorney General鈥檚 office wants schools to report back to the state on how they do it.

New ideas

The Attorney General's office has issued 15 recommendations that include lessons for kindergarten to 12th grade. O'Grady told state board members that her own daughter has shown results.

鈥淲hen she was in the first grade, she talked about being a responsible consumer of medication. I about fell over. I thought 鈥楬ow does a first-grader know this?鈥�

"But it鈥檚 because, at the time, she heard age-appropriate lessons about not taking pills out of the medicine cabinet and listening to me and listening to trusted adults.鈥�

Attorney General Dewine鈥檚 office recommends schools survey their students and community to measure results. It wants the Ohio Department of Education to develop guidelines.