Prince William County Public Schools

In grades K-5, students receive the following:

Elementary school counselors notify families in advance of these lessons to help and encourage families to prepare children prior to the lessons and to begin meaningful discussions about medicine safety and substance use prevention.

View the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for a complete review of Virginia Health Standards of Learning and Curriculum Guidelines for Instruction on the Safe Use of and Risks of Abuse of Prescription Drugs (Word).

Grades 6-10 receive the following at the appropriate level:

• Substance abuse prevention education through health classes include some of the following objectives:
  • Differentiate between proper use and misuse of prescription and nonprescription medications.
  • Recognize social influences/influencers on both the reduction and promotion of the use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, and other drugs.
  • Define addiction and substance use disorder.
  • Identify types of opioids.
  • Explain the link between addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; chronic disease; and engaging in risky behaviors.
  • Define prescriptions, controlled substances, nicotine vaping products, hemp, and marijuana-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products, and explain their uses.
  • Identify the types of behavior associated with drug use and abuse that reflect positive norms (e.g., drug use is not cool, drunken driving is stupid, most teens do not use drugs).
  • Describe the short- and long-term health issues and effects on the brain related to the use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products, and other drugs, including inhalants, marijuana, cocaine, stimulants, methamphetamines, opiates, steroids, and performance-enhancing drugs.
  • Research signs, symptoms, and causes of addiction and the impact of substance use disorder on relationships and behavior.
  • Explain how alcohol and other drugs increase the risk of injury.
  • Analyze the consequences of binge drinking.
  • Explain facts about opioids and why teens are more vulnerable to heroin and prescription opioids.
  • Research trends and factors that contribute to teen use/abuse and non-substance use of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine products (e.g., e-cigarettes), opioids, and other drugs and their impact on the community
  • Evaluate the causal relationship between tobacco, alcohol, inhalant, and other drug use and chronic disease.
  • Identify unsafe behaviors that may result in unintentional injury while riding in or operating a vehicle
  • Skills practice on how to refuse drugs or alcohol and strategies in responding to peer pressure

View the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for a complete review of Virginia Health Standards of Learning and Curriculum Guidelines for Instruction on the Safe Use of and Risks of Abuse of Prescription Drugs (Word). 

Grades 6-12 Intervention Programs:

• The Stop and Think: Vaping, Marijuana, and Opioid Education Program is a virtual, one-session educational program for students who have violated a portion of the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) “Code of Behavior” related to substance use for the first time. The program focuses on the mental and physical effects of substance use, specifically vaping, marijuana, and opioids. The goal is to provide students the opportunity to gain accurate information, honestly assess their involvement with substances, and make personal decisions about behavior changes necessary to ensure their health, well-being, and academic success.
• Through a partnership with Prince William County Community Services, all high schools (9-12) in PWCS have New Horizons counselors that support students and their families with substance abuse, mental health, and cooccurring concerns. For more information, please contact your student's school counselor.
• In affiliation with Prince William County Community Services, monthly REVIVE! training sessions are available to PWCS staff on the administration of Narcan®, a naloxone nasal spray used to treat narcotic overdoses in emergency situations.
• All schools in the school division are stocked with Narcan® – to include school nurses, resource officers, and security officers.

Code of Behavior – Prohibited Substances

• Consequences of a Prohibited Substance Violation

PWCS Regulations and Policy

• Policy 504, "Drug-Free and Alcohol-Free Workplace"
• Regulation 504-1, "Drug-Free and Alcohol-Free Workplace"
• Regulation 735-1, "Prohibited Substances"
• Regulation 735-2, "Smoking/Possession and/or Use of All Tobacco Products"

Talk to Your Child About the Dangers of Substance Abuse

Substance abuse can lead to serious problems such as poor schoolwork, loss of friends, problems at home, and lasting legal problems. Below are resources to help families start the conversation about the dangers of substance abuse.

• Have the Talks: Improve your drug talk skills so you and your child are always on the same page about safety, accountability and good choices. – The New Drug Talk
• 2024's Top Rehab Centers in Virginia–Start Your Recovery
• One Pill Can Kill—U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
• Counterfeit Pill Fact Sheet (PDF)—DEA
• The Facts About Fentanyl—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• NIDA for Teens—National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH)
• Why You Should Talk With Your Child About Alcohol and Other Drugs—Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• How to Talk to Your Teen About Substance Use—Child Mind Institute
• Parent Talk Kit - Tips for Talking and What to Say to Prevent Drug and Alcohol Abuse (PDF)—DrugFree.org
• Partnership to End Addiction:
  • How Can I Protect My Child from Fentanyl? Five Things Parents Need to Know
  • Prepare to Take Action if You Suspect Teen or Young Adult Drug Use
  • Taking on the Opioid Crisis Requires a Multi-Faceted Approach
• Start A Conversation: 10 Questions Teens Ask About Drugs and Health—National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Recognizing and Responding to an Opioid Overdose—Curb the Crisis
• Growing up Drug-Free: A Parent's Guide to Drug Prevention (PDF)—DEA
• Tips for Teens - The Truth About Opioids (PDF)—SAMHSA
• Have the Talks: Improve your "drug talk" skills so you and your child are always on the same page about safety, accountability, and good choices–TheNewDrugTalk.org

Do you think your child is abusing drugs or alcohol?

Know the signs...

• Breaking rules
• Heightened secrecy
• Fishy-sounding excuses or outright lying
• Difficulty thinking or keeping focus
• Withdrawing from classroom participation
• Resistance to discipline or feedback
• Increased tardiness or absence
• Paranoia, irritability, anxiety, fidgeting
• Changes in mood or attitude
• Significant weight loss or gain
• Loss of interest in hobbies or activities
• Decline in school performance
• Abandonment of long-time peer group

~ Adapted from Betty Ford Hazelden Foundation ~

Youth and Tobacco Use

Smoking and smokeless tobacco are almost always initiated and established during adolescence and most are addicted by the age of 20. Twenty percent of high school students report having smoked a cigarette in the last month. Tobacco use during adolescence is associated with health risk behaviors such as the use of alcohol, the use of other drugs, and high-risk sexual behaviors.

• Information from the CDC on Youth Tobacco Use
• Smokeless Tobacco Information

What are E-Cigarettes?

• E-cigarettes are electronic devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, or mix of small particles in the air.
• E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes.
• Most have a battery, a heating element, and a place to hold a liquid.
• Some e-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some look like USB flash drives, pens, and other everyday items. Larger devices such as tank systems, or "mods," do not look like other tobacco products.
• E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called "e-cigs," "e-hookahs," "mods," "vape pens," "vapes," "tank systems," and "electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS)."
• Using an e-cigarette is sometimes called "vaping."

~ Retrieved from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ~

Vaping Devices (Electronic Cigarettes) DrugFacts

• What are vaping devices? National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIH)

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities

• Find Drug & Alcohol Rehab Centers & Support, Virginia–Start Your Recovery
• The following directory is provided by the Prince William County Community Services Board.

REVIVE - Opioid Overdose Recognition and Response Training

In this 90-minute REVIVE! training participants will learn about opioids and how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose with the use of Naloxone. Participants will receive Narcan nasal spray after attending the training. For more information, contact 703-792-7739 or [email protected].

To register for a REVIVE! session, visit Prince William Community Services for a complete list of training options.

Support for Children of Addiction

Those hurt most by alcohol and drug abuse are the children of alcoholics and other drug dependent parents. One in four children in the United States is exposed to alcohol or drug addiction in the family.

• National Association for Children of Addiction