Substance Abuse Prevention and Education

To promote awareness and aid districts in obtaining naloxone, a life-saving drug that reverses an opioid overdose, SDCOE has gathered a variety of resources to provide instruction and guidance in this process. Please visit the SDCOE School Nursing web page to access resources, learn more about obtaining naloxone for your district/school, and training on how to administer it. 

Operation Prevention: San Diego (OPSD), is a partnership between the San Diego County Office of Education and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), San Diego. The partnership exists to provide schools, parents, and community groups access to effective alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) prevention, intervention, and treatment resources throughout San Diego County. 

As part of Operation Prevention San Diego, the DEA-San Diego, in consultation with SDCOE, developed resources to provide educators with engaging tools that are aligned to national health and science standards, and integrate seamlessly into classroom instruction. Through a series of hands-on investigations, students can explore the science behind substance misuse, and the resulting impacts on our brain and body. Please register your email to gain access to the materials.

There are also resources for parents on drugs and strategies for talking to kids about drugs. 

For more information, contact ATOD Coordinator Jim Crittenden at 858-298-2092.

In partnership with San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, Project Alert is a life skills, school-based substance use prevention program that supports the development of skills to reduce the prevalence of substance use among youth, using an evidence-based curriculum.

Project Alert. which stands for Adolescent Learning Experiences in Resistance Training, is validated for use in seventh and eighth grades. The curriculum has been adapted to extend to sixth grade, with a focus on building resiliency and refusal skills among middle school students. The curriculum includes 11 core sessions and three booster sessions, which are incorporated in either science, health, or physical education classes (depending on school determination). Training and support to implement the program at school campuses are being provided as part of a collaboration between the San Diego County Office of Education and the Rand Corporation at designated school sites in San Diego County through a contract with San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. Learn more about the program at the Project Alert website.   

Please Contact Jim Crittenden, Coordinator Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drug Prevention, San Diego County Office of Education.  858-298-2092.

I Choose My Future Assembly

The I Choose My Future assembly provides students with comprehensive, straightforward insight into how substance abuse impacts the individual, the home, the school, the community, and more.

The Fundamental Message: All of the harm that results from substance abuse begins with the initial decisions by users to experiment with the drugs. YOU Choose Your Path! 

Topics Addressed:

• Teen brain development and the impact drugs can have on teens
• How and why addiction occurs
• How to identify potentially harmful drugs
• Financial and human costs of overdoses
• Strategies for handling peer pressure
• How to get help

Ideal Audiences: Middle and high school students, parents, and school staff
Cost: Free
Languages: English and Spanish
Format: In person or virtual, 60-90 minutes, depending on the time allotted by the schools.
Speaker: Rocky Herron, alcohol and other drug ambassador for the San Diego County Office of Education and a 31-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Agency. To date, Rocky has delivered the presentations to more than 130,000 students in 15 countries.
Staff/Parent Presentations: The presentations are also available for school staff training and parent groups. The importance of sharing this message with the adults in the school community is to ensure that students, parents, and school staff have shared understandings of the serious and constantly evolving drug threats facing our children. The goal is that these presentations begin conversations on the school sites that continue long after the assemblies conclude and result in the school communities implementing and utilizing the additional free curriculum resources available to them through Operation Prevention San Diego.

To schedule an assembly, please complete this form and a member of our team will contact you.

“You and your message will have a lasting impact on our kids. Thank you very much from San Pasqual High!” – Cory Gregory, principal, San Pasqual High, Escondido Union High School District

“I wanted to share with you just how impactful the assembly was for our students. We spent the rest of the day having conversations and circles about the role of drugs in students' personal lives. It was incredibly valuable and we were all very appreciative to have the dialogue initiated. We have some really strong kids on our campus." Cesar Mora, principal, Lincoln Middle School, Oceanside

“I had a number of students tell me they were thankful for your talk because finally someone was talking about an issue that affects their lives with family members who are addicts of alcohol, THC, and worse, or family members they've lost. A lot of students were talking about how sad the addicted babies were and how we should be doing something about it. I really think you and your talk is a great spark and we need more of these sparks to build a fire and shed light on this issue and work to overcome it in society.” Jordan Philip, teacher, Potter Junior High School, Fallbrook Union Elementary School District

I Choose My Future Video Series

Due to it's popularity, the I Choose My Future assembly is now a free video series with discussion guides and added resources for educators. Visit the I Choose My Future webpage for the instruction guide, six chapters with videos, and associated student activities. 

The San Diego County Office of Education provides leadership and support services to school districts participating in the Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) programs.

Services Offered

• Technical assistance and support to districts writing TUPE grants for grades 6-12
• Workshops for students and staff in tobacco prevention and advocacy, aiming to encourage participation in schools as community prevention efforts
• Research science-based tobacco prevention curricula and offering training in select programs
• Site visits to ensure that district programs are aligned with program requirements
• Certification of district compliance with tobacco-free workplace requirements

For more information, contact ATOD Coordinator Jim Crittenden at 858-298-2092.

Parent Communication/Letters

• Alert on the dangers of rainbow fentanyl (Spanish)

Resources

• Al-Anon/Alateen of San Diego
• California Department of Education
• California Smokers Helpline 

• Countywide prevention resources

• Countywide treatment resources

• DEA Fentanyl Awareness

• Friday Night Live

• LiveWell San Diego Tools for Schools Resource Guide

• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• National Institute on Drug Abuse  - Teacher Resource 
• Natural High
• OPSD resources and Virtual Drug Prevention Curriculum
• Resources for Families Facing Overdose Loss - PDF
• San Diego County Marijuana Prevention Initiative
• San Diego County Alcohol Policy Panel
• San Diego County Substance Use and Overdose Prevention Taskforce - Fentanyl Toolkit
• Smoking Cessation Resource
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Teacher Vision

• Teen Guide to Substance Abuse

• WestEd/California Healthy Kids Survey