Substance Use Education

Tobacco Prevention Education and Intervention

For elementary schools: 

  • Age-appropriate substance use lessons for elementary students focus on character building, self-esteem, and  resisting external pressures. Although many lessons focus on alcohol and tobacco use, the concepts taught apply to all substances. 

  • Teachers can access substance use prevention lessons for grades K-5 HealthSmart Substance Use Lessons (login required).

For middle schools:

  • Project AlertA research-validated Tobacco and Drug Prevention Education Curriculum for seventh grade. 
  • You and Me, Together Vape-Free Middle School Curriculum: Lessons from Stanford University, each providing activities, online quiz games and worksheets in addition to presentations, resources, and other materials aimed at preventing and reducing e-cigarette use. 
  • Peer Education: We train over 130 students as MS Tobacco Youth Outreach workers who provide Classroom Peer Education and lead Anti-Tobacco media and school campaigns.
  • Intervention Services:  All students who are caught using tobacco on campus are mandated to attend a Mandatory Tobacco Awareness session with the School District Nurse, Social Worker or trained Tobacco Youth Outreach worker.  

For high schools:

  • Safety First: a harm reduction-based drug education curriculum for high school students. It adheres to research-based prevention and drug education principles while equipping teens to make safer choices about drug use.
  • You and Me, Together Vape-Free High School Curriculum: Lessons from Stanford University, each providing activities, online quiz games and worksheets in addition to presentations, resources, and other materials aimed at preventing and reducing e-cigarette use. 
  • Peer Education: We train over 150 students as HS Tobacco Youth Outreach Workers who provide classroom peer education sessions and lead anti-tobacco media and school campaigns.
  • Intervention Services:  Students who are caught using tobacco or vaping on campus are issued a Tobacco citation. They are expected to attend a mandatory Tobacco Awareness session with the school Nurse or trained Tobacco Youth Outreach Worker.
  • Quit Groups: For those students who are interested in cutting back or quitting, we offer a Quit Group or provide one on one counseling with a Community Based Agency or School Nurse.

Tobacco Use Prevention Education Toolbox for Nurses

SFUSD provides multiple resources prepared by nurses, for nurses at middle and high schools to use in school sites. Tools include self-introduction scripts, PowerPoint presentations for faculty, Kahoot! games, and “how-to” presentations for nurses to learn more about teaching resources such as the Tar Jar, Pig Lungs, and about cannabis. Tools may also be useful for elementary level.

TUPE Materials to be checked out

This page was last updated on January 10, 2023