The National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) is urging parents, guardians and adults to closely watch children as schools reopen next week. The council highlights that the transition back to classes is a high-risk period, particularly when students move into new routines and environments, including some starting secondary school for the first time.
NCSA’s message focuses on substance use awareness during the start of the new school year. Barbados Today and Nation News both report that NCSA is encouraging adults to remain vigilant and attentive to children’s behaviour as they return to school.
While the outlets do not conflict on the core point, they emphasize slightly different details. Barbados Today notes the mixed school return schedule and first-time secondary entrants, while Nation News includes attribution to Dr Ronald Chase, a psychiatrist and member of NCSA, in its reporting. Both outlets frame the guidance as preventive, aimed at helping adults respond early to potential concerns during the reopening period.
