Eagle County School District is taking proactive steps to combat youth vaping in the community with the help of funds received from the settlement with Juul Labs Inc. The district’s prevention coordinator, Candace Eves, has developed a comprehensive plan to address substance and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) prevention, as well as social and emotional learning.
The three-year portion of the settlement, totaling over $630,000, will be utilized to fund ongoing education and prevention efforts in schools. Eves’ plan focuses on assessing the readiness of schools and implementing the School Wellness Team strategy to enhance social-emotional learning and prevention opportunities. The goal is to implement a data-driven, team approach to combat student use of ENDS products and promote student wellbeing each year of the grant.
Schools in the district will receive collaborative support from prevention, multi-tiered systems of support, and wellness coordinators to establish school wellness teams. These teams will guide students towards healthy decision-making and provide various social and emotional learning programming to address the needs and gaps in individual school programs.
Eves emphasized the importance of staying current on the needs of students to see a decrease in student vape use. The funds will also support enhanced parent engagement through collaboration and events, as well as training for health assistants, school nurses, and other staff on prevention and intervention. This holistic approach aims to support the well-being of every student, educator, and staff member in the learning communities.
A significant portion of the funding will be allocated to providing schools with either 7 Mindsets or Second Step curriculum, which are multi-tiered approaches to support student well-being. Additionally, wellness coordinator stipends at each school and extra duty pay for professional learning opportunities will be covered by the remaining dollars from the settlement.
Overall, Eagle County School District is committed to utilizing the settlement funds effectively to address the issue of youth vaping and promote a healthy and supportive environment for students. The collaborative efforts between schools, prevention coordinators, and wellness teams are crucial in ensuring the success of these prevention and education initiatives.
