This course satisfies the Safety, Support & Wellness requirement for the School Culture Advocate Certification. Learn more at www.safeschoolsacademy.org/csca.

Course description: Today, more than 600,000 middle school students and 3 million high school students smoke cigarettes. Nearly 9 out of 10 smokers started smoking by age 18, and 99% started by age 26. Tobacco use by youth and young adults causes both immediate and long-term damage. One of the most serious health effects is nicotine addiction, which prolongs tobacco use and can lead to severe health consequences. The younger youth are when they start using tobacco, the more likely they’ll be addicted. This course analyzes youth initiation of tobacco products and how to effectively prevent initiation utilizing Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs.

This course will examine new tobacco products and the challenges that come with them. Rates of smokeless tobacco use are no longer declining, and they appear to be increasing among some groups. Use of multiple tobacco products—including cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco—is common among young people. Cigars, especially cigarette-sized cigars, are popular with youth. One out of five high school males smoke cigars and cigar use appears to be increasing among other groups. By exploring the challenges that come with new products, participants will understand and be able to identify new products as well as develop strategies to prevent youth initiation of new products.

Activities in this course will include discussions on new tobacco products, prevention at the local level and how youth and adults can work together to prevent initiation of tobacco products and encourage cessation among the tobacco user, then end with information and resources for practicing educators, parents and counselors.

This is a one-credit course*

*Participants taking Drake graduate credit can enroll in a maximum of 12 graduate hours per academic semester.  If you take more than 12 credit hours, not all of your credits will be issued nor will your money be refunded. 

Click here to access the course syllabus.

Upcoming sections:
January 26, 2025 - February 15, 2025
May 25, 2025 - June 14, 2025

Course Fees (✨🎅🎁 Happy Holidays!: $40 License Renewal Credit and $140 Grad Credit now through 1/5/25! Prices automatically applied—NO CODE REQUIRED! ✨🎅🎁):

License Renewal - $95 $40
Para credit - $95 $40
Graduate Credit - $175 $140
Audit - $35

If you have questions, check out our FAQ page! You can also email academy@iowasafeschools.org or call 515.381.0588 if you’d prefer to pay by check.

Cancellation/Refund Policy
Please review our Terms & Conditions for more information on our refund and transfer policy.

Minimum Registration Limit
Beginning 8/1/2021, the minimum registration limit for a class will be three (3) registrants. If your registered class does not meet the minimum registration limit one week prior to your course start date, our Registrar will contact you about future transfer options.

Transcripts
Please allow up to two weeks for transcripts to be processed following a course end date. Request your transcripts by going to http://www.safeschoolsacademy.org/transcripts.