Substance Use Prevention Programs
There are a variety of substance use prevention programs that can be implemented in schools. Examples of evidence based/informed prevention programs include:
- Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST)
- Positive Action
- Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND)
- The Incredible Years
- Too Good for Drugs
There are multiple program registries/clearinghouses that can be used to identify other prevention programs that may be better suited to each school’s needs. Results First Clearinghouse pulls information from several of these registries.
Help for Selecting and Implementing Prevention Programs
Community Partners
Local county drug and alcohol offices (also referred to as a Single County Authority), can help schools identify their needs, select prevention programs, and implement prevention programs. Schools are strongly encouraged to reach out to their local county drug and alcohol office for guidance or assistance with identifying prevention programs to implement. Many counties or school districts have coalitions, such as Communities That Care, that also support schools in planning and implementing prevention programs.
PA Youth Survey (PAYS)
School district data from the PA Youth Survey (PAYS) is an important resource for identifying student needs and the factors influencing student substance use. This information can be used to help guide selection of prevention programs. The PAYS How-to Guide is a tool to help in analyzing PAYS data. Local county drug and alcohol offices and coalitions may also be able to assist in analyzing PAYS data.
Training Resources
A video series was created in accordance with Act 55 of 2017 that required the development and provision of a professional development program that includes information necessary to prepare for the teaching of this yearly mandated instruction, and ensured that education professionals who complete the professional development program may apply this training to their continuing education requirements. The video series, School-Based Primary Prevention: A Key to Combating the Opioid Epidemic can be accessed on the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Program's website. This video series is also available through the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standard Aligned Systems (SAS) in order to receive Act 48 credits.
Additional Prescription Drug and Opioid Related Resources
Resources Specific to Pennsylvania
- Guide to Treating Heroin and Opioid Addiction
- The Commonwealth Prevention Alliance Campaign to Stop Opiate Abuse
Additional Resources
Drug and Alcohol Recovery High School Pilot Program
Act 55 of 2017 Section 1402-A Section 1402-A. establishes a Drug and Alcohol Recovery High School Pilot Program. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education, in consultation with Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, designated a facility that satisfies all of the following to serve as the recovery high school for purposes of the program:
(i) Is licensed as a private academic school under the act of January 28, 1988 (P.L.24, No.11), known as the Private Academic Schools Act.
(ii) Is located in a school district of the first class.
(iii) [Has experience providing drug and alcohol recovery services] Is currently operating as a recovery high school.
(iv) Has adopted and follows accreditation standards and best practices set forth by the Association of Recovery Schools.
(v) Has been a member of the Association of Recovery Schools during the 2016-2017 school year.
The Bridge Way School (7360 Jackson Street, Philadelphia, PA 19136) has been determined to meet the eligibility requirements delineated in Act 55 of 2017 (Act 55) and therefore is designated as the recovery high school facility for the purposes of the Drug and Alcohol Recovery High School Pilot Program.
A student may enroll in the recovery high school under the program if the following apply:
The student resides in a school district of the first class, which has approved the student's enrollment in the recovery high school under the program and, with the written consent of the student's parent or guardian, has applied for enrollment in the recovery high school on the student's behalf.
If fewer than 20 students residing in a school district of the first class enroll in the recovery high school under the program at any time, a student who resides in a school district other than a school district of the first class may enroll in the recovery high school under the program if the student's resident school district has approved the student's enrollment in the recovery high school under the program and, with the written consent of the student's parent or guardian, has applied for enrollment in the recovery high school on the student's behalf.
The student commits to sobriety from drug or alcohol abuse or addiction and participates in a drug and alcohol recovery program at the time of application.
The student commits to participate in a recovery plan, including, but not limited to, school-based drug testing, as designed by the recovery high school and approved by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
The recovery high school approves the student's enrollment in the recovery high school. A determination by the recovery high school not to approve a student's enrollment in the recovery high school may not be appealed to the department.
Tuition Calculation for Alcohol Recovery Schools
Pursuant to Section 1405-A of the Public School Code, the Department of Education has calculated the tuition rate for use in the Alcohol Recovery School identified by the department.
Select a school year below to access the final adjusted per-student tuition rate.
The 2021-22 final adjusted per-student tuition rate was calculated by multiplying the 2020-21 preliminary adjusted per-student tuition rate ($21,265.59) by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2020 of 1.4 percent.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has established a 2021-22 final adjusted per-student tuition rate of $21,600 for the alcohol recovery school identified by the department.
The 2020-21 final adjusted per-student tuition rate was calculated by multiplying the 2019-20 preliminary adjusted per-student tuition rate ($20,910.12) by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2019 of 1.7 percent.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has established a 2020-21 final adjusted per-student tuition rate of $21,300 for the alcohol recovery school identified by the department.
The 2019-20 final adjusted per-student tuition rate was calculated by multiplying the 2018-19 preliminary adjusted per-student tuition rate ($20,440.00) by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2018 of 2.3 percent.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has established a 2019-20 final adjusted per-student tuition rate of $20,900 for the alcohol recovery school identified by the department.
The 2019-20 final adjusted per-student tuition rate was calculated by multiplying the 2018-19 preliminary adjusted per-student tuition rate ($20,440.00) by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period ending September 30, 2018 of 2.3 percent.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has established a 2019-20 final adjusted per-student tuition rate of $20,900 for the alcohol recovery school identified by the department.
Model Opioid Prevention Curriculum
Operation Prevention
A collaborative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration and Discovery Education, Operation Prevention educates students about the impacts of opioids and helps kick-start lifesaving conversations in the home and classroom. The comprehensive, free, science-based program for ages 8–18 include a variety of resources, such as digital classroom lessons, video challenges, a parent toolkit, virtual field trips, and a student learning module, among other resources.
The HOPE Curriculum
The Health and Opioid Abuse Prevention Education (HOPE) Curriculum is a series of lessons, assessments, and learning materials to develop students’ functional knowledge, attitudes, and skills to prevent drug abuse. The middle and high school lessons are designed for a licensed health education teacher to implement within a health education class, and the elementary curriculum is designed for a classroom teacher to implement in 20-minute lessons that are aligned with the English Language Arts Standards. Lessons are designed to be part of a larger substance abuse prevention unit within a school’s health education curriculum.