What is Healthy Futures?
Health Futures is an Alternative-to-Suspension program created by the Stanford REACH Lab. This course is for any student caught using tobacco/vaping on school campus, or anyone working with students who want to quit. This program is facilitated by a Project Dream staff member, and takes about 2 hours to complete. The program has three goals:
- Discuss the realities of vape use
- Develop your own individualized plan for setting goals related to vape use
- Access resources to help you manage your relationship to vaping.
To complete the program you must fully engage with the lesson, and answer each survey question in the pre-survey and post-survey.
What is Alternative-to-Suspension?
With Alternative-to-Suspension, students have the option to either:
- Complete the Healthy Futures curriculum
- Receive and in-school suspension
Students choosing the Healthy Futures Alternative-to-Suspension option must be willing to engage positively and fully with the program. This includes honest discussion and reflection in a confidential space.
What happens if I don’t complete Healthy Futures?
If you do not attend and positively engage with the Healthy Futures session on your agreed date, then you will receive an in-school suspension.
Information for Families of Students Choosing the Alternative to Suspension
You may have learned that your child was caught using vapes/e-cigarettes at school. Instead of suspension, your child will be taking part in an Alternative-to-Suspension program called Healthy Futures created by the Stanford REACH Lab and the Tobacco Prevention Toolkit team at Stanford University School of Medicine. Your child will learn about the facts and harms of vapes/e-cigarettes and will receive resources on how to quit vape/e-cigarette use.
You might be feeling a variety of emotions, ranging from anger, sadness, disappointment, embarrassment, and concern for your child’s health and well-being. The tobacco companies that make vapes/e-cigarettes are experts in manipulating young people into using these products. Oftentimes, youth do not know that these products contain nicotine, which is addictive and harmful to the developing brain, lungs, and circulatory system. Other ingredients such as flavorings (e.g., mint, mango, menthol, and so on) are harmful to their lungs. Peer pressure is also a contributing factor to vape/e-cigarette use as many youth perceive these products to be harmless.
Included in this letter are several links to the Surgeon General’s Factsheet and the Parent Tip Sheet to help you continue the conversation with your child at home. You can also find more information in the Tobacco Prevention Toolkit.
To-do: Please review your student’s Healthy Futures Alternative-to-Suspension Student Agreement, sign it, and have them return it to the LCHS administrator they are working with.
Please note that we are here for you and your student. Do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. If you have more questions regarding this program or nicotine products, please call:
| LCHS Principal Scott Carroll scarroll@lakecountyschools.net 719-486-6971 | Facilitator Information Lana Butler lbutler@lakecountyschools.net 719-293-0107 |