Substance Abuse Prevention
The Castro Valley Unified School District is committed to helping parents meet the challenges created by drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Our first line of defense is prevention. Research tells us that if students have an underlying background of family and community support they will be more likely to make good choices about unsafe behavior.
Parents and guardians do make the difference. Be involved in your child’s life. Express your family’s values clearly. Listen to your children, and act as a positive role model. If you think your child is using alcohol and/or drugs, seek help immediately, but also make sure that your child knows that he or she is still loved and that solutions can be found.
Our schools dedicate time and resources to teach our children about how to make healthy and safe choices to be tobacco, alcohol and drug free. School programs include:
Too Good For Drugs (5th grade)
Too Good for Drugs was developed under scientifically rigorous conditions, demonstrates consistently positive results, is innovative and effective, and responds successfully to the needs of the students. This is a comprehensive drug prevention education program designed to teach youth that they are too good for drugs and to equip them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to remain drug-free. The 10 weekly lessons also focus on teaching goal setting, decision making, and effective communication. Too Good for Drugs is taught by a uniformed Deputy Sheriff of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Each instructor of the program attends a three-day training program, which is taught by representatives of the Mendez Foundation, who developed and wrote the curriculum for Too Good for Drugs.
QUEST (6th grade)
This Research-Validated program promotes positive social behaviors including self-discipline, responsibility, good judgment, respect for self and others, and an ethic of service, as well as positive commitments to family, school, peers, and community to support young peoples' healthy development. One of the seven units focuses specifically on knowledge, skills, and behaviors related to preventing or delaying substance use. Students learn and practice skills to understand normative beliefs and make personal commitments not to use drugs; to recognize social pressures that influence substance use, to have self-management, problem-solving, stress reduction, and assertiveness/refusal skills to resist drug use; to have accurate information about the impact of drug use; and to build bonds with pro-social peers and caring adults at school and in the community.
Project ALERT (7th and 8th grades)
Project ALERT is a drug prevention curriculum that addresses alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and inhalant use in eleven core and three booster sessions. It uses a social influences approach emphasizing critical thinking about media and peer influences, resistance skills, accurate information about consequences of drug use, benefits of not using drugs, and alternatives to drug use. A session on smoking cessation is included. A DVD with eight classroom lesson videos and guided program tour is provided.
Project Towards No Drugs (9th grade)
This Research-Validated curriculum motivates students to use their decision-making skills to refuse alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Twelve, 40-minute sessions refine students' active listening, decision-making, and refusal skills. Students critically evaluate the effect of stereotyping on self-fulfilling prophecies, distinguish myths from facts, practice stress management techniques, and overcome negative thought and behavior loops. Students also learn about the negative consequences of chemical dependency on themselves and their families. In the final session, students make a commitment to their desire to avoid drug use.
Helpful Links:
Superintendent's Letter to Families, Sept. 20, 2019
Information and Resources About E-Cigarettes and Vaping
Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Programs