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Safe and Healthy Schools commission launches parent toolkit, videos on mental health and vaping; staff weigh detection costs
Summary
The Safe and Healthy Schools Commission previewed a new online family toolkit and short public‑service videos on suicide prevention, vaping and digital safety. Commissioners and administrators said the materials will be promoted to families; staff noted limited capital costs to add vape detectors at some schools if districts fund installations.
The Washoe County School District Safe and Healthy Schools Commission on Tuesday highlighted a newly completed online toolkit for families and a set of short public‑service videos on mental health, suicide prevention, vaping prevention and digital safety.
Paul LaMarca, the district’s chief student services officer, said the materials are designed to put practical information in front of families in formats they will watch and share. "For students to learn optimally, they must feel safe. They must feel a sense of belonging," LaMarca said, describing the strategic context for the commission’s work.
The toolkit is hosted on the district website under Family School Partnerships and includes bilingual resources on physical safety, bullying, social‑emotional learning, vaping awareness, and digital safety. Commission vice chair Annie Zucker described work over the last two years to convert a formerly in‑person annual safety forum into short videos and web guidance that officials expect families to access on their own schedules.
Commission members and communications staff showed trustees examples of the short videos, including a suicide‑prevention piece aimed at families and a substance‑use prevention video. Michelle Anderson, the district’s chief communications and community engagement officer, said the videos are part of a larger plan to build a bank of family‑facing resources.
The group also discussed vape detection devices as one element of a wider substance‑use prevention strategy. District staff reported initial cost estimates in conversations with schools — roughly $10,000 for a small installation footprint in a single school (up to four bathrooms) and a districtwide initial estimate in the low‑hundreds of thousands (staff cited a ballpark of $200,000 for an expansive rollout) — and said capital funding could cover those installations. Commissioners said vape detection is a useful targeted tool but not a standalone solution and urged the district to combine physical detection with prevention, policy and education.
Trustees approved the commission’s proposed goals for 2025–26, which include ongoing review of policies and training related to physical and emotional safety, promoting mental‑health and suicide‑prevention training for staff, advancing a comprehensive substance‑use prevention plan, and producing additional family‑facing videos. The motion passed unanimously.
The commission also noted long‑standing partnerships, including mental‑health work with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and clinician‑training programs that place fellows part‑time in district schools.
Ending: Commissioners said the toolkit and videos will be promoted through Family School Partnerships and district communications and that they will continue to review policies and practices and return to the board with progress updates and specific implementation plans.
