Prevention Services
Resource
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It is the goal of Prevention Services to educate students, parents, and educators on methods to strengthen protective factors and reduce risk-taking behaviors. Prevention initiatives seek to create environments that support healthy behaviors and build healthy community norms by using evidence-based strategies.
- Bullying Prevention
- Erin's Law
- Mentoring Program
- Substance Use Prevention
- Suicide Prevention
- Vaping Prevention
Bullying Prevention
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated over time. Bullying takes many forms such as physical, verbal, relational and may be direct or indirectly targeted at an individual.
In our commitment to provide students with a safe learning environment where everyone is treated with respect, Forsyth County Schools does not tolerate any student being bullied or intimidated at school or school-related events. Bullying incidents should be reported immediately to school staff. This document outlines preventive measures we have in place to promote positive school climate and diminish bullying behaviors.
Anti-Bullying Policies
School Based Bullying Prevention Efforts
- School Resource Officers in each school
- Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS)
- Sources of Strength
- Bullying Prevention Best Practices infused into classroom curriculum and guidance lessons
- Digital Citizenship Toolkit- Cyberbullying
- See Something, Say Something (P3 Campus)
- CASEL Competencies embedded into classroom curriculum
- Various Social & Emotional Learning Programs (7 Mindsets, The Leader in Me, Habitudes, etc.)
Professional Development
- Professional Development opportunities for school staff are offered throughout the school year through virtual and annual professional development opportunities.
Resources
- ADL Anti-Bullying Resources
- American Psychological Association- Bullying & School Climate
- Georgia Department of Education Bullying Prevention FlowChart
- Georgia Student Health Survey
- Stopbullying.gov
Parent/Community Resources
Erin's Law
At Forsyth County Schools, the safety and well-being of our students is a top priority. Our school counselors are required to present annual personal safety lessons designed to prevent sexual abuse in accordance with Erin’s Law. To support this commitment, we will be presenting the Child Safety Matters program to students. Child Safety Matters is a comprehensive, evidence-based program for elementary students in K-5. The program educates and equips children with strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to all types of abuse.
You can learn more about the research behind this program and view lesson samples at the Child Safety Matters website. Please note Forsyth County Schools only uses Modules 1 and 2 for lesson delivery.
Please be aware that more information is provided on the website than is used in Forsyth County Schools. The plan for Forsyth County includes the following key concepts:
All students K-5 will cover the following program topics:
- Safety Awareness
- Shared Responsibility for Safety
- Safe Adults
- Types of Abuse *see grade level specifics below
- 5 Safety Rules
- Know What’s Up- Know personal information and general safety information and procedures.
- Spot Red Flags- Recognize warning signs for yourself and others.
- Make a Move- Respond to warning signs and unsafe situations to stay safe.
- Talk It Up- Use a strong assertive voice to say NO and to talk to a safe adult.
- No Blame, No Shame- If you are hurt, you are never to blame and you should never be ashamed to tell.
Child Safety Matters defines abuse in the following developmentally appropriately ways:
* K-2 Child abuse is when someone is hurting a child on purpose either with words or by hurting a child’s body.
*3-5 Child abuse is when an adult or another child does something to harm a child or cause injuries. When a child is hurt by abuse it is not done by accident; it is done on purpose.
*K-2
K-2 students will learn about
- Abuse with words
- Abuse to your body
- Private body parts
*3-5
Beginning in 3rd grade, students are introduced to the following 4 types of abuse by name:
- Physical Abuse
- Neglect
- Emotional Abuse
- Sexual Abuse
Mentoring Program
A mentor is a caring adult who offers encouragement, guidance, and a positive example to help students grow and thrive. Mentors listen well, build trust, and support young people in developing their strengths.
How to Become a FCS Mentor
To become a mentor, all community volunteers must create a Partner Connect account. Partner Connect is Forsyth County Schools’ volunteer and partnership platform that allows community members to register as mentors, complete required onboarding steps, stay connected with the district, and log volunteer mentoring hours throughout the school year. New mentors must attend a Mentor Training and complete a criminal background check before they begin mentoring. Mentor Training dates and times are listed within the Mentor Application.
If you have any questions or need assistance completing the required steps, please contact fcsmentoring@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
Substance Use Prevention
Help Keep Your School Safe- Anonymously Report Crime- See Something, Say Something (P3 Campus)
Resources
Suicide Prevention
Suicide is a large growing public health concern across various ages. According to the CDC, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10-24.
Sources of Strength is a best practice youth suicide prevention model designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying, and substance abuse.
Teaches students how to identify signs of depression and suicide in themselves and their peers. It reduces stigma around mental health and suicide, and encourages help-seeking behaviors through the ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) technique.
HB 198 also known as the Jason Flatt Act requires annual training for all certified school personnel. Each year, our counselors and social workers facilitate a guided discussion with school personnel on youth suicide awareness and prevention. We work collaboratively with the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to equip our staff with updated information and resources to support suicide prevention.
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline- 988
- Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) 1-800-715-4225
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800- 273-8255
- Crisis Text Line Text "Home" to 741741
*All calls and texts are confidential
Resources
Vaping Prevention
As a nation, we are facing an epidemic of young people and vaping. Each day, a new headline has the words “young person”, “teen” and “vaping” that create a catching headline for individuals. It is imperative that we are educated on this topic and provide education on this risky behavior for our students to ensure they are safe and healthy to perform in the classroom.
In 2018, Surgeon General Jerome Adams declared vaping among young people as an epidemic. “We must take action now to protect the health of our nation’s young people.” - Surgeon General Jerome Adams
This toolkit is designed to provide tools and resources for Forsyth County school staff, including administrators, educators, teachers and nurses. The toolkit outlines educational information that can be used along with other resources to help educate youth and reduce youth e-cigarette use.
Parent Resources
- American Heart Associate: The Ugly Truth About Vaping
- CDC E-Cigarette/Vaping Products Visual Dictionary
- E-Cigarette Basics
- Helping Your Child Quit
- E-Cigarette Basics Learn about the different shapes and types of e-cigarettes and the risk of all forms of e-cigarette use, including JUUL, for young people
- How to Keep Kids and Teens from Smoking and Vaping (American Heart Association)
- Parents Against Vaping E-Cigs (PAVE)
Tobacco Quitting Resources
Youth:
Adults:
Educator Resources
- American Heart Associate: The Ugly Truth About Vaping
- Botvin Health Connections: E-Cigarettes and Vaping LST has been proven to reduce youth smoking by addressing the risk and protective factors associated with a variety of substances.
- Be Vape Free Elementary, Middle, High Resources and Lessons
- Best practices youth e-cigarette and JUUL prevention program. Provides up-to-date information to teachers, parents and health professionals to equip students with knowledge and skills they need to CDC
- E-Cigarette/Vaping Products Visual Dictionary make informed decisions about e-cigarette use.
- E-Cigarette Basics Learn about the different shapes and types of e-cigarettes and the risk of all forms of e-cigarette use, including JUUL, for young people
- Everything You Need to Know about E-Cigarettes, Vaping and Hookahs (Botvin Life Skills)- grades 7-college
- Stanford Medicine Curriculum (Stanford Medicine)- grades 5-12, Tobacco Prevention Toolkit designed as an education resources.
FCS Resources
- Poster: The Cost of Vaping
- Poster: The Cost of Vaping (Spanish)
- Poster: Physical Effects of Vaping
- Poster: Physical Effects of Vaping (Spanish)
- Policy JCDAA: Student Tobacco Use
- Policy GAN Employee Tobacco Use
ADDRESSING STUDENT USE OF E-CIGARETTES AND VAPES
2.44% (240) of Forsyth County Middle School students report vaping within the last thirty days. (1)
10.45% (1,140) Forsyth County High Schools students report vaping within the last thirty days. (1)
2018 is the second year in which the Monitoring the Future survey asked high school students about vaping specific substances ever, in the past year, and in the past month. In just one year, rates of past-year vaping increased by about one-third in all grades, to 17.6 percent of 8th graders, 32.3 percent of 10th graders, and 37.3 percent of 12th graders. After alcohol, vaping is the second most common form of substance use in all three grades.
References