Preventing & Reducing Youth Substance Misuse
Overview
The use of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs can have significant and long-term health and academic consequences for children and adolescents. Research has shown that environmental strategies – community norms, shared values, and public messages that promote healthy, drug-free living – make a substantial difference in keeping youth better protected from the negative influences of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. Schools are uniquely positioned to provide programs and services that promote student health and remove barriers to learning. They provide an ideal setting for education, prevention, and early interventions of alcohol, tobacco, and substance use.
School-Connected Overdose Response and Parental Notification Policies
On November 1, 2023, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 28, prioritizing the safety and well-being of Virginia’s children by mandating comprehensive guidance on addressing school-connected overdoses with a focus on parental notification within 24 hours of a school-related overdose event. The Board of Education Guidelines for School-Connected Overdose Response and Parental Notification Policies outlines:
- Guidelines;
- Model action plans for school divisions and local school boards;
- Templates for action plans and communications; and
- Resources to support local school division best practices for school divisions.
This coordinated set of guidelines aligns the requirements issued by Executive Order 28, § 22.1-272.1:1., and § 22.1-280.2:3.
HB1473 Fentanyl Education and Awareness
Resources for Administrators & Educators
- Best Practices for School-Connected Overdoses & Collaboration with Law Enforcement
- Fentanyl Awareness informational one-sheet
- Resources: Parental Notification, Law Enforcement Collaboration, and Student
Education to Prevent Student Overdoses - Health Smart Virginia Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use Prevention
- Stanford Medicine Tobacco Prevention Toolkit
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Substance Use Prevention Brochures for Parents/Caregivers
- Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Authority Youth Programs
- Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Guidelines Concerning Student Drug Testing in Virginia Public Schools (PDF) 2004
- Whitehouse Office of National Drug Control Policy Substance Use Prevention: A Resource Guide for School Staff
Information & Research Organizations
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
- Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) StopAlcoholAbuse.gov
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- Partnership to End Addiction
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Virginia Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (VOSAP)
Resources for School-Based Mental Health Professionals
- SAMHSA Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center
- School-Based Health Alliance: SBIRT-in-SCHCs
- VDOE Inhalant Abuse Prevention: Staff Education and Student Curriculum (PDF)
- Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth Prevention Lessons
Resources for Students & Families
- Addiction Policy Forum Navigating Treatment and Recovery: A Guide for Families
- SAMHSA Tips for Teens Series
- U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration & U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention