The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) promotes standards-aligned resources, training, and technical assistance to support high-quality Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) instruction in DC Public Schools and public charter schools.
Vaping Prevention in Schools
In the District of Columbia, the use of electronic vapor products is down from 13.0 percent in 2019 to 10.1 percent in 2021. In addition to the downward trend within the District, DC students are less likely than the national average to report the current use of electronic vapor products. Still, far too many students report vaping, and some student groups face disproportionate risks.
To support schools in vaping prevention and cessation efforts, OSSE partnered with DC Health to present Youth Vaping Prevention: Tools and Strategies to Use in Your Classroom and Community in February 2024. The virtual learning session was open to educators, administrators, school health professionals and others who work with youth. Truth Initiative – a national nonprofit public health organization dedicated to a future free of smoking and nicotine – provided information and resources to better address nicotine use in and around the school setting. Attendees received tools for use within the classroom, tools to help students quit smoking or vaping, ways to better support students dealing with addiction and opportunities to get involved in community organizing and advocacy efforts on this topic.
Access the recorded session here.
The Choice Campaign
Through a partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health, OSSE has designed a youth-focused social marketing campaign to support the DC’s Opioid Response Initiative – a District-wide effort to reduce opioid overdose-related deaths in the District of Columbia through the provision of prevention, treatment and recovery support services to individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD).
The vision of the youth-focused program, The Choice, is to prevent opioid use among young individuals in the District of Columbia by providing engaging educational services through social media outlets. This meets the youth where they spend their time to build an awareness of the risks of opioid use.
The Choice Campaign will start Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, and last for four weeks until Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.
We encourage you to learn more by following OSSE DC on Twitter and Facebook.
Substance Abuse Prevention Month
In recognition of Substance Abuse Prevention Month, OSSE will partner with schools in the District of Columbia to promote Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) resources and to encourage schools to participate in substance abuse prevention activities throughout the month of October. The goal of our campaign is to develop a comprehensive health education strategy aimed at promoting substance use prevention and awareness for young people.
Our efforts are aligned with the school-facing prevention education activities of Goal 2 of the District’s Live.Long.DC Plan. We hope to educate district residents and key stakeholders on the risks of opioid use disorders and effective prevention and treatment options.
Tools for Schools
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Opioids