The La Cañada Unified School District held two workshops related to drug and opioid use and safety this year under the Family Learning Series.
The Family Learning Series, which started in 2018, aims to promote discussions with parents on the topics of school life, student wellness and relationships.
In February, speaker Clayton Cranford, a renowned law enforcement educator in the United States, specializing in social media, child safety and behavioral threat assessments, spoke to the La Cañada Flintridge community about that dangers and warning signs of teenage vaping, marijuana use and fentanyl-related deaths.
Community members left the event with an understanding of how teens are acquiring drugs online, how to have thoughtful conversations about drug use and the dangers of fentanyl and how common teens overdose from the opioid.
“One of the primary ways that children today are accessing drug dealers online, also known as plugs, is through social media, like Instagram and Snapchat,” said Cranford.
Another event in March educated the community on how the body reacts to fentanyl and how to administer Naloxone or Narcan. The event was sponsored by LCUSD and the LCF Alliance for Youth featuring speakers from nonprofits Team Awareness Combating Overdose, or TACO, and Day One. La Cañada High School students and alums also spoke at the event.
“I think the value of the event was to start important conversations and shatter taboos around synthetic opioids and overdose prevention,” said David Paszkiewicz, LCUSD Director of Communications and Outreach.
Day One is a nonprofit organization providing effective, high quality and culturally sensitive public health education, intervention and policy development in San Gabriel Valley. TACO is a nonprofit working to combat accidental overdose deaths among students through data-backed education and accessible harm reduction supplies.
“Personal Finance: The Basics” will be the next family learning series event that the district will hold on May 3, at 6:30 p.m.
“This workshop is targeted toward students in grades 7-12 and all TK-12 parents and caregivers,” reads the district website.
The workshop will be held in person and livestreamed at the district office.
Speakers Brandon Bond and Todd Reynolds will discuss the basics of personal finance and some other tips for students when thinking about savings.
To register for the event and learn more about upcoming events for the Family Learning Series, visit lcusd.net and search “Family Learning Series.”
First published in the April 11 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
