October 2025 Prevention Education Update

School Prevention Programs

We’re well into the school year now, with most of our programs already several sessions underway and some programs wrapping up.

Started in October

• Stacked Deck in 11th grade. Stacked Deck is an evidence-based curriculum for the prevention of problem gambling among teens and young adults. It's the world's first prevention program proven to be effective in changing gambling behavior in youth as well as reducing their risk of developing gambling-related problems. The curriculum includes five lessons on the history of gambling, the house edge, problem gambling, and gambling fallacies. The program advocates for "smart gambling" which emphasizes taking reasonable risks rather than avoiding risk-taking all together.
• Too Good For Drugs and Violence k-3 Similar to the higher grades, TGFDV helps students build healthy social skills and emotional competency. The program’s primary focus is on preventing substance use and violent behavior by strengthening social and emotional skills, fostering personal strengths, and encouraging healthy coping strategies.
• Small Group sessions are for students identified by their teachers as needing additional help building social skills and building positive friendships. Each group is flexible and targets a specific social, emotional, or behavioral skill.  

Ongoing

• Too Good for Drugs and Violence in 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades
• SAFE-T in 7th and 8th grades

Completed in October

• Second Step Bullying Prevention in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades

New Curriculums

The prevention team attended the October 14th school board meeting to answer questions and provide additional insights about a new curriculum that we are considering implementing in our schools. During the meeting, team members presented a brief overview of the curriculum’s objectives and the intended benefits for students, emphasizing how it aligns with our ongoing efforts to support student well-being and prevent risky behaviors. Board members engaged with thoughtful questions, and the preliminary response from the board was positive, with several expressing support for the program’s goals. We are optimistic that, following this initial feedback, the curriculum will move forward in the approval process and hope to have it officially adopted soon!

Open House

Prevention was represented at SCSD's Open House, where our team had the opportunity to connect with families, students, and staff. We set up an informational table featuring brochures, handouts, and other resources that highlighted our prevention services. Throughout the evening, we spoke with attendees about the range of programs we offer and answered questions about how these initiatives support student well-being. The Open House gave us a valuable chance to raise awareness about our ongoing efforts and to provide guidance on how families can get involved or access additional support.

SADD Club

Prevention is working with the school to revive the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club. SADD is a student organization that aims to empower youth to engage in positive change through leadership and smart decision-making. Our mission is to bring substance-use and violence prevention to our community through student led initiatives.

In October, SADD organized Purple Thursday in the high school. Members encouraged students to wear purple in support of survivors of domestic violence and brought awareness to the issue. Victim Services is grateful to have the opportunity to work with the school on this project.

Renee and Bethany with Mrs. Essick, the SADD Club advisor.

Independent Living

This month in Independent Living we focused on our goals and planning for the future. The Independent Living kids also volunteered at the Dushore Trunk or Treat with a shark themed trunk. 

🔙 Read last month's update