Dear Ross/Woodward Grade 5 – 8 Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers,

As you probably know, e-cigarette use (also known as vaping) among students is a concern. Students are using e-cigarettes with nicotine, cannabis, and other products.

This Friday, October 2nd, students in grades 5 through 8 will begin learning about e-cigarettes through Southern Connecticut State University’s Nicotine Prevention Program. Southern students will be guest speakers in your child’s health class discussing the risks of nicotine using Stanford University’s “You and Me Together Vape Free” curriculum.

This new curriculum, "You and Me, Together Vape-Free" curriculum, is part of the Stanford Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, is a theory-based and evidence-informed curriculum created by the Stanford Reach Lab as well as by youth, educators, and scientists across the U.S.

The goals of this age-appropriate curriculum are for adolescents to:

• Increase their knowledge about e-cigarettes and the harm they can cause.

• Gain skills to refuse experimentation and use of e-cigarettes.

• Motivate teens who are already experimenting to reduce, pause, and/or quit their usage as a step towards living vape-free.

The New Haven Public School District is committed to providing the most effective approaches to preventing the use of both nicotine and cannabis e-cigarettes in our schools and communities. We know that prevention of drug use is most effective when it is a partnership between the community, the home, and the school.

Research consistently shows that teens who learn about the risks of drugs at home, from parents or caregivers, are less likely to use substances than teens who report learning nothing about the risks at home. However, getting the message across is not easy. Thus, this newly redeveloped curriculum also offers discussion guides that can be shared between the student and a trusted adult. These essential conversations are geared towards opening up lines of communication, not finding right or wrong answers. Parents are encouraged to talk less and listen more.

To learn more about this curriculum: https://med.stanford.edu/tobaccopreventiontoolkit.html

To learn more about nicotine: vapefreect.org    

NOTICE: If you do not want your child to participate in these discussions, please email Mr. Davis at robert.davis@new-haven.k12.ct.us and we will find an alternate location for them during the presentations.

Thank you for your support as we strive to provide our students a safe and healthy learning environment. Please feel free to contact us at 475-220-3100 with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

In Partnership,

Robert Davis and Susan Amenta

The Ross/Woodward Admin. Team