School Safety Update
Winter Weather Safety
With winter in full swing, it's important for schools to be prepared for potential winter weather emergencies. Winter weather can cause hazardous road conditions, power outages, and school closures. Here are tips to help keep students, staff, and visitors safe during the colder months:
-
Keep sidewalks and walkways clear of snow and ice. This prevents slip and fall accidents and also ensures emergency vehicles can access the campus if needed.
-
Remind students and staff to dress appropriately for the weather. Advise them to wear waterproof clothing and to layer up for added insulation in the event of a power outage.
-
Stock up on emergency supplies, including water, nonperishable food items, and first aid kits. It is extremely helpful to have these supplies readily available in the event of a weather-related emergency or power outage.
-
Monitor the weather regularly. The National Weather Service winter web page provides detailed information about winter weather in general, as well as snow and ice forecasts and services.
Attention Rural Districts
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education, has developed several resources to empower rural schools to develop high quality Emergency Operation Plans (EOPs). Go to: https://rems.ed.gov/TrainingPackage.aspx and look for the “Planning Considerations for Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) for K-12 Rural Schools” folder. You can also review this flyer to learn about how to request a free, personalized training from REMS staff for your rural school/district. Additionally, the OPI School Safety Specialist, Dr. Burke Wallace, is available to offer support and consultation on your EOP. He can be reached at burke.wallace@mt.govor (406) 594-0059.
Save this link and you'll always have access to the current school safety newsletter.
This fun journal and a package of colored pencils is offered to each student attending the OPI vaping prevention presentations. Check out it's contents here.
Tobacco Prevention News
Dr. Beth Dominicis and Kris Minard continue to provide student vaping prevention presentations to Montana schools free of charge. These anti-vaping presentations can be scheduled for 30-50 minute sessions for grades 4-12. We are finding the most effective and engaging presentations seem to be with grades 4-8, but several schools have scheduled high school presentations as well. No one is too old to be more informed about the harm of vaping and we are pleased to be able to reinforce existing tobacco use prevention education in your schools. Inquire here about scheduling presentations for your students.
For those of you keeping up on tobacco marketing news, you've probably heard two recent announcements from the FDA. The first identifies a potential rule change that would lower the nicotine content in cigarettes. Requiring cigarettes to be less addictive would be a game changer for those already addicted to cigarettes and would likely help prevent future nicotine addiction. But at the same time, the FDA has authorized the sale and marketing of flavored Zyn Nicotine Pouches which have nicotine levels much higher than typically inhaled with current cigarettes. "Flavored" is key. Flavors are attractive to kids. Cigarettes don't come in flavors other than tobacco and menthol, and there's been plenty of talk about elminating menthol. Zyn flavors like cool mint, citrus, cinnamon, coffee, smooth and chill have all been authorized by the FDA for marketing. It's all kind of perplexing.
Here's a helpful article from the Public Health Law Center about both new FDA announcements.
Please keep an eye out for nicotine pouches in your school. They are not safe and can be especially harmful to the adolescent brain.
For more information contact Dr. Beth Dominicis or Kris Minard.
 50 Montana Schools Asked to Be Random Participants in the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) monitors priority health behaviors and experiences among students nationwide and the 2025 YRBS is ushering in a whole new survey experience. Fifty randomly selected school districts have been asked to participate to reflect Montana's statewide data and this year the survey will be implemented completely online. No more pencils to collect or answer sheets to mail in.
YRBS survey results are important to schools, states, counties and our nation as they help clarify the factors contributing to the leading causes of illness, death, and disability among youth and young adults.
If your school was randomly selected to participate in the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we sincerely hope you'll agree to participate. Districts that have been randomly selected cannot be replaced. Each randomly selected school's participation is critical to ensure that results are representative of youth in Montana and nationwide. The OPI is proud that our school district participation has always been high, and has produced "weighted" data, which improves the accuracy of the survey results.
Montana is unique in that it offers all high school and middle school districts the opportunity to participate in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey to garner results specific to their schools. It's not just the randomly selected schools that benefit from the knowledge gained from the YRBS.
The OPI will not share individual school district data with the public, but statewide data is of great importance to many state agencies and local coalitions.
Superintendents, if you haven't registered yet, please explore OPI's YRBS webpage and follow this link to register your school district for the 2025 YRBS. Schools have until March 1, 2025 to register.
For more information, please contact Genie Zeeck at 406.444.3178
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.
|
