SHAC subcommittees report on mental health, PE, vaping and data requests; members press district for drug and suicide-prevention information

Multiple SHAC subcommittees gave updates on ongoing reviews and requested district data to guide next steps on student safety topics including vaping, overdose education and suicide prevention.

Mental health and suicide prevention

Mr. Maddox reported the mental‑health subcommittee formed three focus groups: cell-phone policy, bullying follow-up, and information on 504/IEP processes and how the district communicates with parents during those processes. The suicide‑prevention group said it had assembled questions for the district and requested information; a district staff member confirmed those questions were submitted on March 20 and forwarded to district teams for response.

The suicide-prevention work noted that SHAC previously produced a suicide-prevention toolkit and mental-health toolkit that district staff made available to campuses for social media and newsletters. District staff cautioned the group that student-level data is subject to FERPA and (where health records are involved) HIPAA, and that small cell sizes in a 70,000-student district may be reported with an asterisk for privacy.

Vaping, DAEP and first-offender education

A staff member identified as the DAEP counselor described a DAEP “first offender” vaping education program launched in January 2024. The counselor said the program has reached “dozens, if not a 100 or more students” who were caught with THC vapes; students complete a vaping-education course in Canvas and the program has often allowed the district to avoid referring first offenders to the juvenile justice system.

Physical education and state legislation

The physical‑education subcommittee reported work on off‑campus PE, PE time vs. quality, class sizes, equipment funding, and the question of whether proposed state legislation (Senate Bill 25, in early stages at the time) will require changes to district practice. The subcommittee said it will watch the bill’s final language before proposing major local changes.

Communications and meeting logistics

A communications discussion covered options for a group chat tool (GroupMe, BAND, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat). Members noted that any ad-hoc chat would not replace official district email communications and that official notices must continue to be sent and retained by the district. Doctor Blaklock (district staff) helped secure the meeting facility for future meetings and staff said the current time (4:30 p.m.) was acceptable to most members.

Data requests and next steps

SHAC repeatedly asked the district for campus‑level data on overdoses, drug incidents, suicides, recess and PE minutes, and DAEP utilization; district staff said requests were submitted to trustee Odenweiler in early March and to district teams and that staff are working on responses. District staff also noted the district’s lean staffing means assembling, redacting and validating such data can take time, and that privacy protections can require masking small counts.

Ending: Subcommittees will continue to meet; SHAC requested the district provide non‑identifying, campus‑level summaries where possible and to return requested materials so subcommittees can develop actionable recommendations.