TUPE: Tobacco Use Prevention Education Program

The purpose of the TUPE program is to reduce youth tobacco use by helping young people grades 6-12 make healthful tobacco-related decisions through tobacco-specific educational instruction and activities that build knowledge as well as social skills and youth development assets.

While the primary focus of the program is tobacco prevention, including e-cigarettes/vape pens, our strategies are comprehensive and include information on alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Students are also building a wide variety of important and relevant skills including communication, planning, public speaking, and decision making.

• Tobacco product use is started and established primarily during adolescence.

• Nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first try smoking by age 18.

• Flavorings in tobacco products can make them more appealing to youth.

  • In 2021, 80.2% of high school students and 74.6% of middle school students who used tobacco products in the past 30 days reported using a flavored tobacco product during that time.
  • In 2023, 90.3% of high school students and 87.1% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days reported using a flavored e-cigarette during that time.       CDC Youth and Tobacco Use Information

What MDUSD Does - Our Comprehensive Program

MDUSD's TUPE program includes classroom-based substance abuse prevention programs, intervention and cessation services, and youth development activities, such as peer education.

The Contra Costa County Office of Education provides technical assistance to school districts to develop and implement effective, comprehensive tobacco education programs. Support provided to local education agencies (LEAs) includes provide technical assistance for comprehensive tobacco use prevention education programs, including curriculum, intervention, and youth development  

Stanford’s You & Me, Together Vape-Free (for our  high school students)

The new You and Me, Together Vape-Free curriculum,  is part of the Stanford Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, is a 6-lesson evidence-based curriculum created by the Stanford REACH Lab as well as by their Youth Action Board, educators, healthcare providers, and scientists across the U.S.  All of the lessons are mapped to the California and National Common Core State Standards, Health Education Content Standards, and the National Health Education Standards. 

Project Alert (for our 7th and 8th graders)

• Project ALERT is an evidence-based curriculum proven to motivate middle school students against substance use, provide skills and strategies to resist drugs, and establish non-use attitudes and beliefs.  

• Project ALERT uses the power of practice and repetition to give students the self-efficacy, skills, and resources to resist peer pressure and misleading, pro-drug messaging. It works on two levels: helping students reduce their current substance use—or avoid experimenting in the first place. 

• Statistics and long-term survey research demonstrate Project ALERT’s success. 

CATCH My Breath (for our 6th graders)

Catch My Breath  is an evidence-based  youth vaping prevention program with published evidence of reducing students’ likelihood to vape. Aligned to national and state education standards,

FOR PARENTS & FAMILIES

CCCOE Parent & Family Resources - Let's Talk About Tobacco One Conversation at a Time

Parent Guide on Substance Use & Mental Health

Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) has developed a new online guide entitled, “Substance Use, Mental Health, & Teens: A Guide for Parents & Other Caring Adults,” which focuses on information and resources to protect and care for teens facing substance use and mental health crises.

Created by the agency’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program, in collaboration with community partners, the resource was inspired by CCCOE Education Champion April Rovero, Founder/ Director of National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse (NCAPDA). The guide is intended to equip adults with the knowledge and resources they need to support young people in their lives to make pro-health decisions.

The Parent Guide is available to view and download in an English and Spanish format below.

SUBSTANCE USE, MENTAL HEALTH, & TEENS: A Guide for Parents & Other Caring Adults

Download the Guide here

CCCOE Resources and information to support mental health

MDUSD TUPE SITE COORDINATORS: 2024-2025

CONTACT

Ester Estrada
Administrative Secretary I
(925) 685-1011 x62049
estradaester@mdusd.org