Introduction
The 2020 Health Standards of Learning: Support for the Instruction of Opioid Awareness and Prevention Instructional Guide, a companion document to the 2020 Health Standards of Learning, amplifies the Standards of Learning by defining the core knowledge and skills in practice and supporting teachers and their opioid awareness and prevention instruction. The local curriculum should include a variety of information sources, readings, learning experiences, and forms of assessment selected at the local level to create a rigorous instructional program.
The Instructional Guide is divided into three sections: Understanding the Standard, Skills in Practice, and Concepts and Connections aligned to the Standard. The purpose of each is explained below.
Understanding the Standard
This section includes health understandings and key concepts that assist teachers in planning standards-focused instruction focused on opioid awareness and prevention. The statements may provide definitions, explanations, or examples regarding information sources that support the content. They describe what students should know (core knowledge) as a result of the instruction specific to the course/grade level and include evidence-based practices to approach the standard.
Skills in Practice
This section outlines skills that are specifically linked to the standard. They frame student inquiry, promote critical thinking, and assist in learning transfer. Curriculum writers and teachers should use them to plan instruction to deepen their understanding of the broader unit and course objectives. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of student expectations. The four healthy lifestyle practices are critical thinking and decision making; acquiring, evaluating, and communicating health information; developing and using social skills; and regulating emotions and building resilience.
Concepts and Connections
This section outlines concepts that transcend grade levels and thread through the K through 10th grade substance use/misuse prevention to include opioid awareness and prevention program of instruction as appropriate at each level. Concept connections reflect connections to prior grade-level concepts as content and practices build within the discipline as well as potential connections across disciplines.

To read this graph, start by looking at the title and labels. The title tells you what the graph is about, and the labels on the axes show you what is being measured. Once you understand the labels, look at the data points. These are the dots or bars that represent the information. You can compare the data points to see how the values change over time or in relation to each other.As you scroll your mouse over the various data points, you will learn about the different stimulants that are being combined with opioids and the number of deaths from these lethal combinations that have been reported since 2012. The second graph depicts methamphetamines and cocaine and their involvement in opioid-related deaths.

This playlist contains resources for parents who are interested in protecting the health of their children, and for school divisions tasked with sharing parent education resources within their region. All resources were produced in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education and Health Education experts.

What Parents Need to Know about Kids and Unsafe Behavior (Opioid focus -What it Takes Episode)
Description: For both parents and adults who care about children, one of the hardest things to do is to try to help a child in crisis. Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, sexual behavior, or other vices, it can be hard to be both helpful and compassionate while not either contributing the to the problem or causing a child to shut us out. Dr. Cheri Hartman was Roanoke’s Citizen of the Year in 2021 for her advocacy and outreach with children and adults. She is the Grant Project Director at Carilion Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in Roanoke, and she joins host Tom Landon to discuss how to help kids avoid addiction and destructive behavior.

What Parents Need to Know About Opioids and Families (Parent Interview):
Description: Tess Henry was a promising young woman who lost her life to opioid addiction. Now her mother, Patricia Mehrman, shares the story of her daughter’s journey from honor student and published poet to her tragic murder in Las Vegas where she had gone to seek treatment. This story demonstrates that no child is immune from the dangers of opioids, and provides tips for parents for recognizing the signs of addiction in their children. Produced in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education by Blue Ridge PBS

What Parents Need to Know about Vaping Prevention:
Description: When New York mom Mimi Boublik learned that her high schooler had started vaping, she was ill prepared to discuss the consequences of e-cigarette use, so she joined up with a group of other moms who'd recently formed PAVe, Parents Against Vaping e-Cigarettes. Now, years later, the organization is still leading the fight against big tobacco's kid-centric marketing efforts. Boublik discusses the long term dangers of e-cigarettes as part of a collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education to provide Virginia parents with the tools they need to talk to their kids about harmful behaviors.

What Parents Need to Know About Vaping – Hidden in Plain Sight Presentation:
Description: Hidden in Plain Sight is a nationally recognized program where local health agencies partner with law enforcement to help parents understand the dangers their kids face when it comes to drugs. Vaping is considered by many to be less harmful than cigarettes, but often leads to nicotine addiction in kids. In this program, Radford City (VA) Police officer Thad Beasley walks parents through a typical child's bedroom to point out how kids might hide vaping materials "in plain sight", and how parents can check to make sure their kids are safe. This video was produced for the Virginia Department of Education by Blue Ridge PBS.

What Parents Need to Know about Problem Gambling – What it Takes:
Description: In 2022, Americans lost a record 55 billion dollars in casinos and on mobile gaming apps, over 13% more than in any previous year. The growth of sports betting and the arrival of casinos in the Commonwealth represents a huge opportunity for revenue generation, but for some gamblers the allure of big money can become problematic. Host Tom Landon is joined by Anne Rogers and Don McCourtney of the Virginia Office of Behavioral Health and Wellness to share ways to help those who suffer from gambling addiction.

What Parents Need to Know About Teen Gambling – Parent Interview:
Description: Gambling is now legal in Virginia, with the arrival of casinos to go along with the Virginia Lottery, Off Track Betting, and licensed online sports books. But it's still illegal for children to gamble. In this interview, two parents share their own journey of addiction and recovery, and how addiction affected their family, including a teenage son who also shared their family's secret addiction.

What Parents Need to Know about Student Betting
Description: Blue Ridge PBS is proud to partner with Gray Media and the Arnoldt Center for Investigative Journalism at Indiana University to air and share an excellent report that highlights the ways that teens get involved in sports betting and the consequences of doing so. The investigative package they have created includes video resources and written reports highlighting the dangers of teen gambling.