Synthetic opioid prevention lessons, updated fentanyl toolkit for Oregon schools now available

As fentanyl keeps showing up in a variety of drugs on the illicit market, state agencies are continuing their effort to help Oregon educators engage with students about the drug’s dangers – and preventing and responding to fentanyl overdoses – with the release of synthetic opioid prevention lessons and an updated Fentanyl Toolkit for Schools.

“The dangers of fentanyl have no age boundaries,” Gov. Tina Kotek said. “We must support the critical role that schools play in substance use prevention and intervention for students. The updated lesson plans and toolkit are a result of multiple state agencies coming together to collaborate on how we can best protect young Oregonians, and I’m grateful for their work on these vital resources.”

Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (ADPC) partnered on these opioid/fentanyl prevention and intervention resources. This cross-agency collaboration with school and community partners to prevent substance use among youth and young adults will continue with the release of additional instructional materials and professional learning resources throughout the school year.

More about the lessons and toolkit...

Resources for Oregon's New Diploma Requirements

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has been working to develop resources to support districts with implementation of Oregon’s new diploma requirements established by Senate Bill 3 (2023). These new resources will provide districts and public charter schools with relevant information related to the rules, reporting requirements, communication and frequently asked questions. Requirements for School Districts Beginning with the class of 2027, next year’s sophomores, Oregon diploma requirements will include a 0.5 credit in Personal Financial Education and a 0.5 credit in Higher Education and Career Path Skills, as part of the 24 credit requirements. On or after January 1, 2027, districts and public charter schools must ensure that students who will be awarded high school diplomas are able to satisfy these credit requirements. More about the diploma requirements...

Governor Kotek and Dr. Williams Join School District Phone Bank to Encourage School Attendance

On October 15, Governor Tina Kotek and ODE Director Dr. Charlene Williams attended a phone bank event hosted by Waldo Middle School and ODE to encourage school attendance. In total, attendees made 265 phone calls and wrote almost 300 postcards. They called families of students enrolled in the Salem-Keizer School District whose students' attendance had improved since last year. Conversations focused on the importance of regular school attendance and celebrating attendance habits being established early in the school year. A downloadable video from the event can be found online.  Here is some of the media coverage of the event: OPB: Educators dial landlines to support Salem-Keizer families Oregon Capital Chronicle: Governor, education director, call attention to school attendance Salem Reporter: Good school attendance gets some families a phone call from the governor

November is Native American Heritage Month

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month and including it in lesson plans is easier with the resources below.

Our Senate Bill 13 Tribal History/Shared History page on the ODE website should be your first stop. It represents years of collaboration with Oregon’s tribal governments in an effort to tell the entire story of Oregon’s history and the culture of today. The page is packed with resources including lesson plans and professional development. Bookmark the page because new information is being added regularly. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Office of Indian Education’s monthly newsletter!

The Smithsonian network of museums in Washington, D.C., includes the National Museum of the American Indian whose website has pages dedicated to helping K-12 educators. Be sure to check out the resources dedicated to teaching more accurately and thinking more broadly about the Thanksgiving story.

Closer to home, the Oregon Historical Society has a resource on their website called Experience Oregon which is the cornerstone of their museum experience.

The best part is that all of this information is available year-round. So let Native American Heritage Month be the launching point for continuing to include this perspective in classes throughout the school year!

November is Transgender Awareness Month

On November 20, 2024, we honor Transgender Day of Remembrance.

According to the 2022 Oregon Student Health Survey taken by 6th, 8th and 11th grade students, 12% are transgender, gender-expansive, or questioning. Please review the LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan, resources webpage, and Supporting Gender Expansive Students Guidance webpage for strategies to increase gender-affirming support for youth, families, and educators, as we work together to build legacies of love and support for transgender and gender expansive youth in our school communities during Transgender Awareness Month and all year.

Be sure to check out our X page and follow us to stay up-to-date on everything that's happening in education in Oregon!

Preparing for Breaks and Transitions with Care and Connection 

Breaks and transitions in the academic year can be very challenging for Oregon students and school staff. Making time and space for care, connection, and relationship building are vitally important to nurturing health and well-being of students, their families, and the entire school community.  

Youth and adults often find comfort in predictable routines. Interruptions to regular activities during holidays and breaks can be stressful for some. Reactions to these types of stressors can take many forms such as frustration, anger, irritability, sadness, and withdrawal. These typical human stress responses may be particularly evident before, during and after time away from school. For additional support in identifying and addressing distress and chronic stress in youth, please visit our Guidance page, which contains resources tailored to different ages and translated into eight languages. 

More about preparing for breaks...

How Prioritizing Staff Well-being Supports Thriving Schools and Student Success

The well-being of school employees is vital not only for the staff but also for the success of the entire education system. Research shows that building strong school employee well-being programs results in improved staff retention, decreased employee health care costs, better relationships between school leadership, staff, and students, and improved outcomes for students. After all, when our education staff thrive, so do our students! Our team at Oregon Healthy Schools deeply values the hard work of school staff throughout Oregon and recognizes the incredibly demanding work involved in every level of education. That’s why we would like to take the opportunity to provide some resources that center the  well-being of the education workforce and help to build a culture of wellness that benefits staff and students alike.

More about staff well-being...

ODE In the News

OPB talked with ODE Director of School Choice, Options, and Recovery Education Kate Pattison about the first state-funded Recovery High Schools in the nation, helping students with substance use disorders.

Ed Week featured an AI tool called Sassy that ODE helped to develop to assist Oregon students as they think about, explore and plan for their futures.

The Klamath Herald and News showed how a CTE Revitalization Grant from ODE has helped transform shop classes at Bonanza Jr./Sr. High School.

Student Spotlight

The Rogue Valley Times talked with two Eagle Point HS students whose artwork is displayed prominently on the vehicle used by the School Resource Officer.

A TEACH-NW student has earned statewide media attention for talking to astronauts on the International Space Station with his ham radio. Check out the coverage from OPB, KGW and the Oregonian.

KATU highlighted the “We the People” civics team from Portland’s Grant High School who can be seen in a PBS documentary about the civics competition.