Tomball Independent School District Home

Tomball ISD Families, 

 

In Tomball ISD, the health and well-being of our students, staff and families is of great importance to us. We are an innovative district that strives to stay ahead of the curve through the implementation of Social Emotional Learning and Health/Wellness programs in our schools.

 

Currently, our society is being plagued with the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use, known as vaping or JUULing. Vaping means using an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) or other vaping device.  It is referred to as vaping because tiny puffs or clouds of vapor are produced when using the devices. Unfortunately, like many communities across our state and country, we have seen this major health concern in our community and in our schools, primarily at the middle and high school levels. Because of this, we are committed to providing educational resources you need to be knowledgeable on this unfortunate epidemic facing our youth.

 

We wanted to share with you that Tomball ISD, in partnership with MD Anderson, will launch a four-week educational anti-vaping campaign for our intermediate through high school students, parents, staff, and community that will address: educational information about e-cigarettes and health risks; prevention strategies for our students when faced with pressures from their peers; resources on how to stop vaping and other activities to participate in that keep students free from vaping; lastly, introduction to student initiatives in the local, state, and national level that will focus on a call to action of our students to advocate in order to reverse the epidemic of vaping. 

 

In conjunction with Red Ribbon Week, this campaign will kick-off on Monday, October 28 and run through the month of November. Educational information and resources will be available to students and the community through our district website, www.TomballISD.net as well as on social media. Below is a breakdown of the weekly themes included in our campaign:

 

- Week One- Be in Shape, Don’t Vape: Educational information & current data
- Week Two- Escape the Vape: Prevention information
- Week Three- Break the Vape: Resources on how to stop vaping
- Week Four- E-Vape-Orate: Actions to Take to Stop the Vape

 

Studies show that in 2018, more than 3.6 million U.S. youth, including 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle school students, used e-cigarettes. We need your support, and we must work together to combat this problem for our students and community. Please feel free to share any and all information that is provided to you. 

 

Along with this campaign, Tomball ISD will also work with Harris County Public Health Department through our local Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) to implement a Youth Vaping Prevention program into our curriculum for our students.

 

Thank you for supporting our district as we roll out this anti-vaping educational campaign. We are Team Tomball and we want nothing more than for our students to be safe, healthy, and productive citizens in our community. 

 

Respectfully,

 

Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora

Superintendent of Schools

 

October 25, 2019