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Five-year prevention grant credited with sharp decline in student vaping in Clay County schools
Summary
Public-health preventionist Jason McCoy told commissioners that a five-year positive‑community‑norms grant produced large declines in youth vaping and other substance use at DGF schools (vaping from about 24% to 5%; alcohol from 23% to 8%; cannabis from 12% to 5%) and that the county will continue program work through public-health funding and other grants.
Jason McCoy, a public‑health preventionist presenting to the Clay County Board of Commissioners on July 7, said a five‑year positive‑community‑norms effort funded initially through a Minnesota DHS grant produced measurable declines in youth substance use at DGF schools and countywide high‑school vaping.
McCoy presented comparative figures: at DGF high school vaping rates dropped from roughly 24% to about 5% during the grant period; reported past‑30‑day alcohol use fell from 23% to 8%; cannabis use dropped from 12% to 5%. He said Clay County’s overall high‑school vaping rate is now about 9%.
McCoy credited student leadership, community participation and a focus on positives rather than fear‑based messaging. He described student groups (a so‑called rice club) expanding from a dozen students to several dozen and said the initiative drew national attention. Commissioners praised the work and asked about continuity after the grant’s end. McCoy said public‑health responsibilities will fund 0.8 of his time and a cannabis and substance‑use prevention grant will fund the remainder to preserve policy and partnership work.
Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said the results demonstrate sustained cultural change among students and a potential template for other districts. The board encouraged McCoy to present results to other local governing bodies and school boards.
Provenance: Presentation and Q&A appear in the transcript under the five‑year community impact update (topic intro: SEG 207; topic finish: SEG 517).
