Vaping ECHO for Education
In 2019, the Kansas State Board of Education asked that a task force be formed to assist schools in dealing with E-Cigarette/Vaping use by students. The E-Cigarette/Vaping Task Force determined the need for a Vaping-focused Project ECHO and produced a variety of educational materials, including two documents that have been approved by the Kansas State Board of Education:
- Kansas State Board of Education's Recommended Comprehensive Tobacco-Free School Grounds Policy (PDF)
- Kansas State Board of Education’s E-Cigarette/Vaping Disciplinary Recommendations (PDF)
Benefits for Participating Schools
- Participate in a ground-breaking approach to address vaping in schools.
- Create a school-centered team approach to address vaping in schools.
- Engage in a network of stakeholders committed to reducing vaping in schools.
- Increase confidence in schools’ ability to address vaping/tobacco treatment needs of students.
- Develop participants’ skills to provide support and referrals for vaping/tobacco treatment.
- Use tele-mentoring to access expert advice concerning prevention and vaping/tobacco treatment.
Participate in a Future Cohort
Is vaping an issue at your school? Are you ready to address it and get students connected to the help they need? If yes, enroll in the Kansas Vaping ECHO for Education program for the 2023-2024 school year by emailing Bryce Chitanavong.
The Pilot Project
Details about Pilot Schools
- This is the first Project ECHO known to focus on vaping in schools.
- Twenty Pilot Schools were selected for participation in Cohort One of the Kansas Project ECHO on Vaping. Two schools were selected from each of the ten Kansas State Board of Education member’s districts.
The Second Cohort
- The second cohort will consist of interested schools that applied to be Pilot Schools for the 2021-2022 Vaping ECHO for Education but were not selected.
- Schools in the second cohort will represent diversity in terms of rural, urban, socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic makeup.
- Participating schools are expected to be motivated to impact student use of vaping products and committed to fully participating in the sessions.
Vaping ECHO for Education Cohort Map
See the full-sized map (PDF).
Pilot School Resources
Session 1: Tobacco Prevention in a School Setting
Session 2: Legal Issues
Session 3: Introduction to Addiction and Cessation
Session 4: Putting Cessation into Practice
Session 5: Restorative Justice: A Student-Centered Approach
Session 6: Success Stories
Session 7: Sharing Progress
Cohort 2 Resources
The sessions provided specialized training based on the tele-mentoring approach focused on addressing barriers and discussing solutions to better connect youth to cessation resources.
The Vaping Epidemic: Overview of the Issue
Introduction to Addiction and Cessation
Putting Cessation into Practice
Policy Best Practices and Legal Issues
Restorative Justice: A Student-Centered Approach
Engaging Community Partners
School Team Presentations
Debrief
Cohort 3 Session Dates
The sessions will provide specialized training based on the tele-mentoring approach focused on addressing barriers and discussing solutions to better connect youth to cessation resources
Orientation | August 23, 2023
Summit | August 30, 2023
Vaping ECHO for Education Pilot Initiative in Kansas | September 13, 2023
Tools for an Effective Conversation About Vaping | September 27, 2023
Policy Best Practices and Legal Challenges | October 11, 2023
Vaping Cessation a Student Centered Approach | October 25, 2023
Partnerships in Tobacco Prevention and Control | November 8, 2023
School Action Plan Presentations | December 6, 2023
Schools Sharing Progress | April 24, 2024
What Participants Said
“I appreciate the expert involvement. It's interesting to hear policies and practices of other schools’ districts, but also have the experts weigh in on them.”
“We enjoyed being part of the Pilot and look forward to seeing change across the state of Kansas and locally.”
“Our team learned a lot being a part of this pilot and we are very eager to make some much-needed policy changes and hopefully decrease the use of vaping in our area.”
“I thought the ECHO was great and loved getting even more resources to use and share with everyone to assist with tackling the vape problem with teens/all.”
“Our committee feels we have gained tremendously from the ECHO sessions throughout the year and are ready to move forward addressing our vaping issues.”
Success Stories
Participating schools share how they've been successful in the areas of discipline alternatives, parent involvement, teamwork, reporting, and the Resist program.