Tobacco Use Prevention Grant for Schools Has vaping become a major issue on your school campus? If so, you’re not alone. The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program has once again dedicated $40,000 to the OPI to provide Montana schools with funding specifically intended to reduce youth tobacco use. Grants up to $10,000 per school, or $20,000 per school district, will be awarded to successful applicants to support student tobacco use prevention during the 2022-23 school year. The application period for this grant is currently open and will close on Friday, June 10, 2022. Follow this link to the grant application for more information. Last year 5 school districts were awarded funds for purchasing vape detectors and for implementing alternatives to suspension. For inquiries about the application process contact Kris Minard at kminard@mt.gov  or 406.444.0785.

School Safety Recognition Awards and School Safety Summit

The Jeremy Bullock Safe Schools Summit will be held August 9-10 in Butte, Montana. This two-day conference serves to provide an opportunity for Montana schools and school safety stakeholders to join experts from around the state and nation to discuss best practices for student and educator safety and creating safe school environments. The Safe Schools Summit is designed for school safety teams, educators, school health personnel, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and emergency and disaster preparedness coordinators. Continuing education units are available! Please visit the Safe Schools Summit page for more details.   

In addition to the Safe Schools Summit, the Jeremy Bullock Memorial Trust is seeking nominations to recognize people (students and staff) and programs doing great work in the area of school safety. There are three award categories:

• Champion of School Safety: This award is for an individual or K-12 School for commitment to school safety through leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and service to others.
• Youth Safety Spotlight Award: This award is for a student, youth group, or student support program for promoting a positive school environment and taking steps to create a safer community and school.
• Law Enforcement or School Resource Officer (SRO) of the Year: This award is for an individual, team, or department who has shown outstanding service to their school, students, teachers, and community.

Nominations are due July 1^st and recipients will be notified on July 15^th. Awardees will be recognized at the Jeremy Bullock Safe Schools Summit (attendance at the summit is not required). Each awardee will receive $1,000 to further their school safety work. Check out the award nominations page for more information and to make a nomination.  

Montana Students Speak Out! Student Voice Submission Opportunity

The Office of Public Instruction is inviting students to join the conversation about supporting student wellness in Montana. We want to hear from students to better understand their experiences and hear their recommendations to improve in-school support for student mental health and wellness. We are currently seeking youth video submissions and written submissions to elevate Montana student voices. To participate you must be a Montana youth between the ages of 13 and 19 years old. Students have the option of submitting a student voice video or providing written responses, which can be submitted anonymously.

Please see this informational flyer or visit our School Safety Student Voice website for more information. You may also contact Michele Henson, School Safety Program Manager (michele.henson@mt.gov 406-595-1058), with questions.

School Safety Professional Development Grant

School Safety Professional Development Grants will open for submission beginning at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.  The Legislature has provided a total of $100,000 for the OPI to subgrant to Montana’s K-12 school districts for the 2022-23 school year to conduct school safety training.  Districts can apply for grants of $1,000 to $10,000.  More information on this competitive grant is available on the School Safety Professional Development Grant web page where applications will be submitted.  Grants for allowable activities will be funded in the order in which they are received until funds are exhausted.  Training funded through this grant in previous years have included youth suicide awareness and prevention, hazard and emergency planning, professional development in district violence protocols, bullying prevention, and illegal substance use trends. Please contact Michele Henson (michele.henson@mt.gov  406-595-1058) if you have questions.

Suicide Prevention and Response Training: Montana Crisis Action Toolkit for Schools (CAST-S)

The Montana Safe Schools Center (MSSC), in collaboration with the Montana School Counselor Association (MSCA), School Administrators of Montana (SAM), and the Montana Small Schools Alliance will be holding a virtual training on using the Montana Crisis Action Toolkit for Schools (CAST-S) to prevent youth suicide. This training will allow participants to learn from suicide experts and Montana CAST-S collaborators: Karl Rosston, DPHHS Suicide Prevention Resource Coordinator; Matt Kuntz with the Montana chapter of NAMI; and Dr. Scott Poland, Director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office at Nova Southeastern University and national expert on schools and suicide prevention.

This training will occur on August 2, 2022, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with a one-hour lunch break. The training is intended to offer school administrators, school counselors, school nurses, and other school stakeholders the tools and knowledge in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts in PK-12 settings. Attendees can participate as a representative or as a school team (preferred). Attendees will earn 6 OPI renewal credits from the Montana Safe Schools Center. There is no cost for this training. Please visit the registration website to register or contact Dr. Emily Sallee at the Montana Safe Schools Center for more information (Emily.sallee@umontana.edu).  

The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.