Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1175948
High School nurse and United Educators of San Francisco member Linda Boyer-Chu provides one-on-one counseling. Fremont Unified School District works with the city to have students attend four weekly evening counseling sessions, including one attended by parents. g e t t i n g pa r e n t s i n vo lv e d A joint effort to educate parents about vaping was undertaken by the Burbank Teachers Association and the Burbank Unified School District. e union and school district recently sponsored parent meet- ings at two high schools on the topic. "Parents said, 'Oh my goodness, this is wonder- ful,' " shares Burbank Teachers Association President D i ana Abasta . " We see ourselves as having an important role in educating parents. We can't just be concerned about kids in classes; we have to be concerned about them holistically, too." e collaboration was prompted after a represen- tative from Breathe California Los Angeles contacted Abasta, offering to present information to parents for free. "I thought it was fantastic, because we are really having an issue with vaping in our schools," says Abasta. "I am proud BTA was involved in reaching out to the parent community about this." Christina Noriega, a counselor at William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita, has worked to educate Spanish-speaking parents at her school about the student vap- ing epidemic. "It's a huge problem," says Noriega, a mem- ber of Hart District Teachers Association. " When I read that one in five high school students is vaping, I decided we needed more parent education on the subject. I was sur- prised at how little information parents have." She found that parents were under the impression that e-cigarettes did not contain nicotine and were relatively safe. They were also surprised that vaping products look just like highlighters and flash drives. She shared warning signs a student may be vaping, including increased coughing, pneumo- nia, nose bleeds, dry skin and increased thirst. "I try to empower parents on ways to start a con- versation with their child about vaping instead of just lecturing," says Noriega. "Seeing advertisements or seeing someone vaping may be the perfect oppor- tunity to start that dialogue." Some have questioned why it should be educators' job to push back against vaping. Noriega says that given educa- tors' commitment to teach to the whole student, it makes sense. "It's our job as educators to teach math, science and English, but it's also our job to teach to the whole student," she says. "And that means teaching about health risks. Vaping affects what happens in the classroom because it affects students' brains and prevents learning. It affects their overall health. If we don't educate students and their families, who will?" Below, some of the many vaping devices and e-cigarettes available. According to a survey last November by the Truth Initiative, less than half of 1,500 high school and middle school teachers and administrators recognized a photo of a Juul device; more than a third thought it was a USB drive, pencil container or something else. Photo: Minnesota Department of Health 31 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 019 Christina Noriega "IT'S OUR JOB TO TEACH MATH, SCIENCE AND ENGLISH, BUT IT'S ALSO OUR JOB TO TEACH TO THE WHOLE STUDENT. AND THAT MEANS TEACHING ABOUT HEALTH RISKS." —Christina Noriega, Hart District Teachers Association