Students present Be the Change findings, urge Narcan access and expanded mental-health supports

Students from the Be the Change Youth Coalition at Oceana High School presented data and recommendations to the Jefferson Union High School District Board of Education on youth vaping, opioid overdose prevention and school mental-health supports.

Mary Beer, director of Alcohol and Other Drug Services at the Daly City Youth Health Center, opened the presentation and described the program’s rebrand: “It’s called Inspire,” she said, and outlined the coalition’s focus on “brief intervention, community education, youth leadership, and policy advocacy.”

The coalition’s research group reported survey and focus-group findings the students said show easy access to vapes, limited awareness of overdose prevention and gaps in mental-health support. Students cited district and county survey results, including: about 30% of ninth graders said it is easy to obtain vape products; roughly 20% of ninth graders reported believing vaping is not harmful; 54% of adults and 80% of youth who responded to BTC’s surveys supported youth access to Narcan after training; 13% of ninth graders and 10% of eleventh graders reported seriously considering suicide in the past 12 months; 30% of ninth graders and 36% of eleventh graders reported feeling hopeless for two or more weeks; and 12% of eleventh-grade girls reported being afraid of getting beaten up.

Student Sarah, a student leader in the Be the Change Youth Coalition at Oceana High School, said the group has collected data “from Fogfest surveys the last three years” and from the California Healthy Kids Survey to support recommendations. She summarized the coalition’s requests to the board: increase vaping and substance-use education; work with the county office of education and San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services to allow youth access to Narcan after opioid-overdose education and training; ensure JUHSD representation on the San Mateo County Opioid Task Force; promote the district’s anonymous reporting app (Stop It); and expand youth-led mental-health outreach and anonymous help pathways.

Board members and the audience asked questions. Trustee comments included concern that wider access to Narcan could be perceived by some as encouraging drug use; a student replied that drugs are already in the community and that Narcan can save lives when substances are unknowingly laced with fentanyl. Mary Beer added that a primary rationale for Narcan access is preventing poisoning among youth who experiment and may be unaware of adulterants.

Trustees and staff praised BTC’s presentations and the students’ practical skills. Board members raised next steps including whether the district can help expand BTC-like programming to other schools; Beer said the coalition’s work is largely grant funded and that district buy-in and funding would increase capacity to place programs at additional sites. Students invited trustees and the community to the BTC youth summit on May 10 and said they would continue to share survey results and facilitate focus groups that separate adult and youth perspectives.

The board did not take a formal vote on the coalition’s requests during the meeting. Several trustees suggested adding school safety and student-wellness follow-up items to a future agenda so staff and the board can consider district-level responses.