BREA

Brea Olinda Unified School District Superintendent Peggy Lynch said residents shouldn’t be alarmed by a state report showing the district had a more than 500% increase in drug and alcohol offenses among students in 1998-99. The district’s schools had only last year begun to report the incidents properly, she said.

Lynch said that with the district’s more centralized reporting system, next year’s report should offer a more accurate picture of any increases or drops in drug offenses and other crimes.