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Pomona Unified updates board on Red Ribbon Week and TUPE prevention efforts
Summary
District staff reviewed Red Ribbon Week activities and the Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program, presented local survey data showing low recent vaping rates among most grades, and described intervention and cessation options the district uses for students who vape.
Pomona Unified staff on Oct. 15 updated the board on Red Ribbon Week activities and the district's Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) efforts, emphasizing peer-led education, parent outreach and intervention programs for students who use vaping products.
Assistant Superintendent Fernando Mesa and TUPE specialist Gavin Santayon described school-based activities including peer counseling, puppet shows on vaping prevention, tabling events for parents, assemblies, and partnerships with local law enforcement and health organizations. Mesa said TUPE funding comes from a Tobacco Use and Prevention Education grant and supports district prevention strategies.
Santayon presented survey data from the California Healthy Kids Survey showing that the majority of students in surveyed grades reported not vaping in the previous 30 days (e.g., 96 percent of seventh graders said they had not vaped). He acknowledged small increases in some subgroups and said district staff are expanding brief intervention, cessation and remote (Zoom) intervention options for students identified as users.
"We need to help in that area because a lot of students are using drugs, they are vaping; it's an unhealthy coping strategy," Santayon said, describing the program's emphasis on mental-health alternatives and peer education.
The presentation highlighted that TUPE supports prevention, education, intervention and cessation and noted the district's multi-year TUPE grant cycle. Staff said they will continue combining evidence-based interventions and training campus staff in brief intervention so students can receive immediate supports when concerns arise.
