Is your teenager drinking?

According to the results of a statewide youth survey that tracked adolescent substance abuse trends, East Rockaway students have experimented more with smoking and drinking, on average, than those in other parts of the county and state.

Around 500 students from grades 7 to 12 at the East Rockaway Junior/Senior High School volunteered to take part in the survey -— the largest in state history — and district officials said they hoped to use the information to help reduce substance abuse and other problems among preteens and teens.

The results were revealed at a Jan. 20 forum at the high school. A panel of school and village officials, police, substance abuse counselors and social workers were on hand to field questions from approximately 100 parents in attendance.

The survey, which was conducted in November 2008, asked students questions about their experimentation with alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana or other drugs, and about the availability of drugs in their communities and their parents' attitudes about drug use. Administered by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, the survey polled 92,000 students — who participated anonymously — in 42 public school districts and 58 private schools. In Nassau County, a total of 4,241 students from 12 schools took part, representing seven of the county’s 56 districts.

Thirty-seven percent of the East Rockaway students surveyed reported having at least one alcoholic drink within a 30-day span, while the county and state averages were 31 and 27 percent, respectively. About 20 percent of East Rockaway students said they had used marijuana in that same time frame, compared with a county average of 9 percent and a state average of 7 percent. Principal Bill Fortgang said that he did not find the results alarming, citing a previous survey that showed that most students were not experimenting with harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin.