Category Archives: Public Policy

Drugged Driving Rivals Dangers of Drunk Driving

Drugged driving doesn’t get as much national attention as drunk driving, but it’s every bit as dangerous. Like alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs impair teens’ ability to drive safely and are part of the reason motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death among young people. Experts warn that legalization may make the problem […]

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Mental Health Awareness Month 2021: Tools 2 Thrive Phase Two

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. At the beginning of 2020, no one could have predicted where we are now, almost halfway through 2021. We faced the worst public health emergency in a hundred years: the coronavirus pandemic. Physical health and wellbeing were our first priority all year, which was critical for getting the pandemic […]

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National Prevention Week 2021: How to Prevent Teens From Using Drugs

National Prevention Week (NPW) was established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to encourage schools, communities, and organizations to raise awareness about preventing adolescent substance use and mental health issues. This year, National Prevention Week is May 9-15.  National Prevention Week occurs every May – towards the end of the school […]

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How Do Teachers Feel About Returning to Virtual Teaching?

The Santa Monica Unified School District (SMUSD) will resume classes via distance-learning this year. For Ms. Orah Gidanian, a special-education instructor at the Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH), this makes sense. “While I am definitely nervous thinking about how this will impact our students’ academic futures and their families, I didn’t see how we […]

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Delayed High School Start Times in Seattle: Positive Outcomes

In the 2016-2017 school year, the Seattle Public School District took a risk. Based on policy recommendations published in a 2014 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), district officials implemented a system-wide delay in high school start times. Here’s the AAP claim that triggered the change: “[We] recognize insufficient sleep in adolescents [is] […]

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