The Sioux Falls School District is joining a national initiative to combat vaping.
It’s a trend health officials say is affecting the mental development of youth across the nation.
The “Break the Clouds” campaign outlines the harmful effects of vaping for youth. It includes resources for teens who want further education on vaping prevention and quitting techniques.
The campaign is a part of a national “Vape-Free Me Initiative.”
The Sioux Falls School District is spreading the message by distributing “quit cards” across the district.
The cards are equipped with free resources for students on how to quit. A QR code is included on the card, linking directly to the campaign’s landing page.
Molly Satter is the Health Services Coordinator for the district.
“Our intentions with that are, we can take those cards and have our councilors, our school nurses, administrators in the building, when they have a conversation with a student - if the student discloses that they are vaping, they’re struggling with it, they want to quit, or if they get in trouble for vaping. It’s not just punitive, but it’s like, ‘hey we want to help you,’ and here are some resources that we can connect you with right away,” said Satter.
Satter said while there are many national resources for youth struggling with vaping, the district wanted to tailor its approach to the community.
This includes creating an online landing page through the City of Sioux Falls website. The site offers resources for both youth and adults on vaping education and prevention.
“Included in that, we have done some very short videos, that you can find on that webpage as well. Just talking to our principles, student interviews, just about what students are seeing and how they’ve been impacted. So those videos are there. We are hoping to help families and students and are excited to launch the campaign," said Satter.
According to “The Vape-Free Me Initiative,” over 3 million high school and middle school students admit to using a tobacco product within the last 30 days.
