A comprehensive health education lesson aligned with the 2023 Massachusetts Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Framework (Practice 1: Analyzing Influences). Features tiered simulations (Tier 1 Foundational, Tier 2 Targeted, and Tier 3 Comprehensive) examining how punitive zero-tolerance drug policies versus supportive health-diversion pathways pull students either away from or towards health.
Zero disciplinary penalties when reporting a substance emergency for oneself or a classmate.
Pillar 2: Diversion
Care Over Exclusion
Tiered SBIRT screening, confidential counseling, and substance education instead of suspension.
Pillar 3: Connection
Academic Retention
Guaranteed tutoring, sports continuation agreements, and adult mentorship to prevent alienation.
Complete the Policy Redesign Challenge on Page 2 of your worksheet. Massachusetts Chapter 222 Compliant
[ ] ↑ Towards Health [ ] ↓ Away from Health
Rule 3: "Trusted Adult Check-In" Students who have questions about drugs or vaping can have a confidential chat with the counselor.
[ ] ↑ Towards Health [ ] ↓ Away from Health
Activity 3: Mapping My School Support Team
Who are 3 trusted adults in our school building you could talk to if you or a friend were pressured to vape or try drugs?
Adult 1 (Role/Name):
Adult 2 (Role/Name):
Adult 3 (Role/Name):
Student Voice: Advice for the Principal
If our principal asked: "What rule would help students feel safe coming to us for help instead of hiding secrets?" What would you tell them?
Safety First Curriculum • Tier 1 Health Education Page 2 of 2
[ ] ↑ [ ] ↓
Good Samaritan Rule: No punishment for reporting an overdose
[ ] ↑ [ ] ↓
Stripping students of sports, band, and all club activities
[ ] ↑ [ ] ↓
Part 3: Tier 2 Voice • School Transition Ready Policy Recommendation
As you prepare for the next school year, write two specific recommendations for the administrative team to ensure students feel safe seeking help:
Recommendation 1: How should the school respond when a student asks for help with stress or vaping?
Recommendation 2: What should the rule be if someone needs medical help at a school event or party?
Safety First Curriculum • Tier 2 Health Education Page 2 of 2
Part 2 & 3 • TIER 3
School policies act as powerful environmental influences. Categorize each institutional policy action below by checking whether it pushes a student Towards Health (↑) or Away From Health (↓), and explain why.
Institutional Policy Feature
Direction
Health Impact Rationale
Automatic 10-day out-of-school suspension for first offense
[ ] ↑ [ ] ↓
Confidential SBIRT mental health screening with social worker
[ ] ↑ [ ] ↓
Mandatory reporting to police and juvenile justice referral
[ ] ↑ [ ] ↓
Medical Amnesty: Zero discipline when calling 911 in a drug crisis
[ ] ↑ [ ] ↓
Deep-Dive: How Fear of Consequences Influences Emergency Disclosure
If a student is having a terrifying reaction to an unknown laced substance at a party or in school, how does Oakland High's zero-tolerance rule influence whether their peers call 911 or alert staff? Contrast this with Brookfield High.
Part 3: Policy Redesign Challenge MA Ch. 222 Compliant
Imagine you are appointed to your district's School Wellness Advisory Committee. Draft 3 specific policy provisions to replace zero tolerance with a health-centered pathway:
Pillar 2: Health Screening & Restorative Education
Pillar 3: Academic Retention & Positive School Connection
Safety First Curriculum • TIER 3 • MA HPE Practice 1: Analyzing Influences Page 2 of 2
Standards-Based Evaluation
Exemplar: Emergency Disclosure Analysis (Part 2)
"Under Oakland's zero tolerance, peers fear that calling an adult or 911 will lead to suspensions, police records, or expulsion for everyone present. Consequently, students often delay calling or abandon an unconscious peer. Under Brookfield's medical amnesty, peers know their priority is medical survival and that seeking help carries no punitive sanction, ensuring life-saving intervention occurs immediately."
Exemplar: 3-Pillar Policy Redesign (Part 3)
Pillar 1 (Amnesty): Immediate medical exemption: no suspensions or athletic bans for students who seek medical assistance for drug-related distress or overdose.
Pillar 2 (Diversion): Multi-tiered care replacing expulsion: mandatory confidential SBIRT screening with social worker, 4 restorative education sessions on coping, and family engagement.
Pillar 3 (Retention - MA Ch. 222): Preserved academic enrollment: continued access to classes, homework coaching, and structured athletic participation under a mutual wellness contract.
MA HPE 2023 Practice 1 Analytical Rubric
Performance Dimension
Developing (1-2 pts)
Proficient (3 pts)
Exemplary (4 pts)
1. Analyzing External Influences (1.12.AI.1)
Identifies school rules as good or bad without analyzing how they alter student behavior.
Explains clearly how punitive rules deter help-seeking and how supportive rules foster disclosure.
Deconstructs complex institutional dynamics; evaluates how policy stigma shapes peer culture and student identity.
2. Towards vs Away Trajectory (1.12.AI.3)
Categorizes features with simplistic reasons (e.g. "suspension is mean").
Distinguishes between addressing root causes (mental health) vs punishing symptoms (vaping).
Maps systemic trajectories: links exclusion to pushout, increased stress, peer re-affiliation, and chronic use.
3. Policy Redesign & Advocacy
Suggests vague reforms with no clear connection to health or legal standards.
Designs viable provisions incorporating medical amnesty, counseling, and academic retention.
Pedagogical Coaching: Common Student Misconceptions
Misconception: "Strict suspensions scare students into stopping drug use." Evidence: National public health studies show suspended youth are 2.5x more likely to experience substance dependence due to severed school bonding and unsupervised idle time.
Misconception: "Amnesty policies encourage students to use more drugs." Evidence: Good Samaritan and amnesty policies do not promote drug use; they remove barriers to calling 911 during life-threatening medical emergencies.
Safety First Curriculum • Practice 1 Assessment Key Page 2 of 2
