The Blue Ribbon Commission, appointed by the Talbot County Council, identified that interventions for substance abuse occur too late and developed a strategy to increase parent education about substance abuse risks and prevention when children enter high school and middle school. Parents of students coming into ninth grade at Easton High School, St. Michaels High School, Saints Peter and Paul High School, and sixth grade at Easton Middle School, St. Michaels Elementary School, Saints Peter and Paul Elementary School, Country School, andChesapeake Christian School recently received resources to help their teens navigate these transition years.

Parents of ninth grade parents received a resource folder with materials, such as a street drug information sheet, magnets for the TurnAround Program and for the Talbot TipLine for Underage Drinking, and brochures on tobacco and alcohol refusal skills. Parents of sixth graders received Let’s Talk conversation cards, which parents can use to initiate meaningful conversation on topics including drug, alcohol and/or tobacco, peer relationships, as well as fun questions to help youth better understand who they are and what’s important to them.  The materials were funded by the Talbot Family Network and Talbot Partnership.

For further information, contact Gary Pearce at Talbot Partnership at 410-819-8067 or e-mail gpearce@talbotpartnership.org.