Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

Tobacco-Use Prevention, YVAPE, and Alternatives to Suspension and Expulsion

As you embark on the new year, I would like to remind you and your staff of the continued need to address the tobacco-use prevention needs of California students.

In the face of the ongoing vaping epidemic and the continued emergence of novel tobacco products, it is more important than ever that our schools offer an environment that encourages healthy habits and promotes an optimal learning atmosphere. In addition to the harmful effects of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemical additives, e-cigarettes have introduced another mechanism for students to consume marijuana. Consequently, tobacco-free campus policies have the additional benefit of addressing student use of marijuana through vaping.

The 2023 California Youth Tobacco Survey (CYTS) found that 18.3 percent of high school students have used e-cigarettes at some point in their lives, and 5.9 percent used them in the past 30 days. While this is a significant improvement from previous years (24.3 percent and 8.2 percent in 2020, respectively), it still represents more than 110,000 students as current users. In addition, vaping has contributed to the co-use of tobacco and marijuana among youth. The most recent data shows that 4.9 percent of high school students currently use both tobacco and marijuana. The survey also found that youth who rated their mental health as poor or fair had a higher prevalence of current tobacco use (14.8 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively) than those who reported their mental health as good to excellent (5.9 percent).

As you know, the California Department of Education (CDE) strongly supports using alternatives to suspension and expulsion (ATSE). The CDE supports the use of ATSE to keep students engaged in the classroom while helping to address the root causes of tobacco use. The CDE believes suspension should only be considered as a last step in a tiered approach to repeated violations. The CDE Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) Office has funded the University of California San Diego to develop Youth Vaping Alternative Prevention Education (YVAPE). YVAPE, at https://yvape.org/en, is a free evidence-informed intervention program that includes parental engagement, live telephone coaching, educational videos, and a post-program survey.

For more information, please see the YVAPE flyer at https://yvape.org/static/media/resources/YVAPE%20Flyer_KIC_Eng_2023-24.pdf and brochure at https://yvape.org/static/media/resources/Yvape%20Brochure%202023.pdf. We encourage you to consider using YVAPE in lieu of suspension.

Lastly, I want to make you aware of the availability of several tobacco-use prevention resources developed by the CDE TUPE Office or TUPE-funded programs. Please visit the CDE TUPE Program web page at https://tupeca.org/Pages/Home.aspx.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Francisco Michel, School Health Education Consultant, TUPE Office, by email at fmichel@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

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