K-12 Education

September 28, 2026 | Controlled Substances, Innovative Initiatives, K-12 Education, Peer Support and Recovery Services, Recovery, Substance Use Disorder, Treatments

Denver, Colorado’s Department of Public Health & Environment created its adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, Education, and Prevention (STEP) Program to respond to the growing need for therapeutic support for young adults struggling with substance use. Since its inception in the early 2020s, the program has treated hundreds of young people suffering from mental health and substance use disorders....

November 19, 2024 | Innovative Initiatives, K-12 Education, Public Health, Substance Misuse

In the fall of 2022, West Virginia implemented an opioid and substance misuse prevention program named Game Changer in three public high schools. The first of its kind in the nation program uses student peer leadership programs that focus on building school environments that foster and promote healthy living and staying away from using or experimenting with alcohol and drugs....

May 3, 2023 | Controlled Substances, Harm Reduction, K-12 Education, Model Laws, Public Health, Public Safety

Developed in collaboration with the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law, the Model School Response to Drugs and Drug-related Incidents Act guides states in establishing a consistent and positive response for public schools to best support students who have drug or drug-related incidents on school premises or at school-related functions....