Schools will be able to refer problem students to a new counselling agency for youths, beginning this month.

Education Minister Jerome Dill revealed this yesterday during a joint press conference with the National Drug Commission.

The Bermuda Youth Counselling Services programme will operate from a small office initially staffed by two counsellors, a programme director, and support staff.

While the location of the office is yet to be announced, Mr. Dill said the agency will open "over the course of the next few weeks''.

It will deal with the problems of students who experiment with alcohol and other drugs or whose parents were abusing drugs.

"For some time we have been in talks with the National Drug Commission, which has also considered programmes for reducing behavioural problems in students that may be alcohol- or drug-related,'' he said. "Together we have developed a plan, based on a student assistance model which is similar to the Employee Assistance Programme, to help students resolve their problems and change their behaviour.'' Mr. Dill said the programme will allow schools -- with the consent of parents -- to refer students to the service for assessment, "something not possible under the current Student Services operation''.

"Students who are referred will be interviewed and a comprehensive assistance plan will be designed for each student to address his or her needs, making maximum use of helping resources already available in the community,'' he said.

"Where possible, parents will be encouraged to participate in designing the assistance plan.'' He added the service provided to students and their parents/guardians will be strictly confidential.

Parents or guardians who did not want their children referred to the new service should be prepared for the consequences which may include having the child suspended or expelled from the school.

"This is a school system which is compassionate,'' he noted. "But we will not allow a small number of disruptive students to spoil it for everyone else.'' NDC chairman Mansfield (Jim) Brock -- who was joined by NDC treatment coordinator Lynda Price -- said the Commission, which has sent six to eight young people abroad for treatment at a cost of up to $20,000 each, believed the local programme will be more cost effective.

"We always intended to develop a programme locally,'' he said, adding that changes in US Immigration laws which prevented people with drug convictions from travelling was one of the main reasons for such a programme.

While the NDC was the primary partner with the Ministry of Education and Human Affairs in the $350,000 scheme, Mr. Dill stressed the Bermuda Youth Counselling Service will address all behavioural problems of students, not only those caused by alcohol or drugs.

The programme, while targeting school students, will also be available to everyone between the ages of 10 to 24.

News of the new service comes on the heels of an outbreak of student violence, particularly at CedarBridge Academy and at the Hamilton bus depot.

Both Mr. Dill and Premier Pamela Gordon last week said Government planned to open an alternative school for disruptive students.

They also requested a list of names of disruptive students from CedarBridge.

Students on the list, if involved in disturbances after being warned, will be taken out of school and placed in the alternative school (which may be at the Warwick Camp) until they learn how to act in the regular school environment.

Yesterday, Mr. Dill said CedarBridge had submitted a list with 25 names of students. He was discussing "the next step'' with the Premier, he said.