Teachers against Drug Abuse

(TAD)
Target Population and Need
Teachers against Drugs Abuse (TAD) is a coordinated school health program for
students in the. 3rd through 5th grades, piloted at Nitro Elementary in Nitro, WV. This program
will be implemented to help students better understand the harmful side effects of drug usage as
well as prepare them for future peer pressures they might face.
The United States (U.S.) is spiraling out of control with illegal drug use. According to the
National Institutes of Health (2014), the U.S. spends $11 billion dollars on healthcare due to
illicit drug use; and $193 billion dollars yearly on people using drugs illegally. Studies have
linked parental alcohol and substance use to adolescent initiation of alcohol use (NIH). Children
who see their parents abuse substances are more likely to abuse in the future as well. Compared
to teens in families with strong family ties, teens in families with weak family ties are four
times likelier to have tried tobacco; four times likelier to have tried marijuana; and, almost three
times likelier to have tried alcohol (CWI). "Fifty Americans die a day from prescription drug
overdoses, and more than 6 million suffer from prescription drug abuse disorders (Hopkins,
2004). This is a very real epidemic - and warrants a strong public health response," said Andrea
Gielen, ScD, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy.
This proposal targets children in grades 3-5. This is a very vital age where children need
to learn what drugs are and what they can do to us and our families. Many children are suffering
due to their parents drug addicted behaviors. . According to the Childrens Bureau, 12% of
children in the U.S. live with a parent who is dependent on or abuse drugs. (CWI) Drug abuse is
clearly an issue among adults and trickling down to children. As stated by Trust for Americas

Health (2013), West Virginia has the highest drug overdose mortality rate in the U.S. and ranks 8
out of 10 on reporting prescription abuse. According to Kanawha County Communities that Care
(KCC, 2011) over 55% of Kanawha County youth report Marijuana as being fairly easy or very
easy to get.
This proposal is an effort to combat the health issue of drug and substance abuse and how
it relates to children and their future. The program entitled Teachers against Drugs (TAD) will be
implemented in the pilot location of Nitro Elementary. Nitro has a population of about 7,146
people.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the TAD is to increase Nitro Elementary Students grades 3-5s knowledge and
general awareness of drugs and substance abuse.

Within 6 months, 50% or Nitro Elementary students grades 3-5 will know the negative
effects that drugs and substance abuse have on our lives.

By the end of 2016, 60% of Nitro Elementary students grades 3-5 will have learned
meaningful ways to say no to drugs.

By the end of 2016, 50% of Nitro Elementary grades 3-5 will be able to identify at least 5
of the top drugs and substance abused.

Program Plan
In an effort to improve the overall knowledge and understanding of drug abuse,
and the effects on our bodies, Nitro Elementary students will gain meaningful knowledge to
protect themselves and stay healthy. Strategies will be implemented to help students to better
understand the danger of drug abuse and how to say no in a meaningful way. This program will
be piloted over a course of six months (24 weeks).

Intervention strategies and using the coordinated school health program will be very
important in order to help my program succeed. This program has decided on at least five
strategies that will help to promote and grow the program. First, to be used is a Health
communication strategy. For this, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade will make posters about drug prevention
and hang them around the school. Students will be given a flyer or newsletter that they can take
home to better educate parents on what their child is learning will be used as well.
Secondly, Health Education strategies will be used. Once the 3rd-5th grade students are
prepared, we will have a workshop where they can share their knowledge with other grades,
parents and staff. We will also invite our local police officers and k-9 unit to come in and share
with the students their experience and drug prevention tactics.
Third, will be the use of Health Policy/ Enforcement strategies. In classes we will go over
county and state policies of drug abuse. We will talk about what happens to someone when they
abuse the law. Students will learn how important laws are and how following laws may keep
them out of trouble and healthy.
Fourth, will be Health-related community service strategies. We could offer drug testes
among the community and an outreach program for abusers in the community. We can do an
optional parental drug test or a clinical share your story day. Using the community can help
students to feel more united and understand more on a personal level.
Fifth, students could do journaling about their thoughts on the workshops and guests we
have and what they have learned. We could do an end of the year social activity. We could have a
field day for students as a reward for completing the program and for all of their hard work.

Through this program, students will better understand what it means to stay healthy, and
make healthy choices. This could be in the foods we eat to strengthen our bodies or, the physical
activity that we do to keep us strong. All of this ties into saying no in a meaningful way and
understanding that the choices we make have lifelong effects.
This program will reach out to other educators and encourage them to join in on teachers
against drug abuse. We need more educators to be the voice and to educate students on drug
abuse. This program will also gear towards showing teachers that by having this implemented in
the classroom, they can make a difference in their students lives.

Evaluation
For my program Teachers against Drug and Substance Abuse (TADS) my main goal is to
increase knowledge and general awareness of drugs and substance abuse to students grades 3rd5th. I will have students do worksheets, posters and fun activities to assess their knowledge of
what they are learning. Students will write a small essay on what they have learned and what
they can do to share their knowledge of what they have learned at the end of the program.
I would like to get parents and the community involved and have an after school program
where student share with their family and community what they have learned. Students will put
on a skit and show meaningful ways to say no in a dangerous situation. Students will be grouped
and they will list the top five drugs and substance abuses. I will be sure to make the activities fun
and entertaining for students. Students will receive a shirt, and several items supporting the name
TADS throughout the program. Students who complete the program will get to come to the open
field day.

Within 6 months, 50% or Nitro Elementary students grades 3-5 will know the negative
effects that drugs and substance abuse have on our lives. Students will keep journals and
write a short essays or stories to test knowledge of content.

By the end of 2016, 60% of Nitro Elementary students grades 3-5 will have learned
meaningful ways to say no to drugs. Students will role-play meaningful ways to say no to
drugs and put on skits or mini plays to assess knowledge.

By the end of 2016, 50% of Nitro Elementary grades 3-5 will be able to identify at least 5
of the top drugs and substance abused. Students will be asked to make posters identify the
top drug and substances abused.

Budget

Item Needed
Newsletters
Journals
Materials/Supplies, Drug
Prevention Material.
Classroom to Hold the
meetings.
Website to Promote the
Program
School Health Coordinator
Props for skits and Role-Play
T-Shirts, Pencils, Stickers, &
Promotional Items
End of the Year Fun day for
completing the course.

How Many or What is

Needed.
200 Newsletter to send home
to parents.
200 Journals one for each
student. $1.75 each
Poster board, markers, paper
ect. For 200 students
$0 will be provided by the
school.
$0 will use a free source

Total Cost

Provided by the board of

education.
Purchased from a website

$0

200-300 of each Item

$1000

Gym or football field will be

provided $0, will need
refreshments, and Prizes for
Approx 200-300 people.

$1000

$100 For paper and Ink to

print.
$350 Total Journal Cost
$500 Total Supply
$0
$0

$200

Total Cost= $3,150

Works Cited

Trends & Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2015, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/relatedtopics/trends-statistics

Galea, Sandro; Nandi, Arijit; and Vlahov, David, "The Social Epidemiology of Substance Use,"
Epidemiologic Reviews (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,
2004) Vol. 26, p. 39.
http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/1/36.full.pdf

Knowledge Networks and QEV Analytics, "National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance
Abuse VX: Teens and Parents" (New York, NY: National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse at Columbia University, August 2010), p. 3. http://www.casacolumbia.org/addictionresearch/reports/national-survey-a
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Prevention#sthash.

Drug Abuse 2013 data for West Virginia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2015, from
http://healthyamericans.org/reports/drugabuse2013/release.php?stateid=WV

Children of Parents With Substance Use. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2015, from
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/parentalsubabuse.pdf

Drug Abuse 2013 data for West Virginia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2015, from
http://healthyamericans.org/reports/drugabuse2013/release.php?stateid=WV

A FEW REASONS why WE EXIST:. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from

http://www.kanawhacountyctc.org/