School Nurses

Poisoning is the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Anyone can experience a poison emergency, and any substance can be harmful if used in the wrong way, wrong amount
or by the wrong person. Children under 6 years old account for almost half of all cases managed by poison centers. However, many of the more clinically serious cases occur among teens and adults. The good news is that most accidental poisonings can be prevented, but we need your help! Below are some free classroom lessons and resources you can share with your students and families.

Elementary resources

Hunter & Scout’s Poison Patrol

The Kansas Poison Center developed the Hunter & Scout's Poison Patrol Program as an easy and fun way to teach this important topic of poison prevention to preschool and early elementary students. The program includes a video and classroom activities as well as educational materials for parents and caregivers.

• Hunter & Scout’s Poison Patrol
• Hunter & Scout's Poison Patrol – Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Children’s Books with Poison Prevention Messaging
Check out a list and short summary of popular kids books that can help tell the story of poison dangers.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (free)
Free science- and standards-based classroom lessons and multimedia activities on teens and drugs (alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, e-cigarettes, etc.). 

Generation Rx (free)
Generation Rx provides free resources to educate people of all ages about the potential dangers of misusing prescription medications. The program focuses on safe use, storage and disposal of medications and offers materials for medication safety education among youth, college students, other adults and seniors in communities.

Over-the-Counter Medicine Safety (free)
Engage students, grades 5-8, in a critical conversation about responsible medicine use. Research shows that children begin to self-medicate at around age 11 (in fifth and sixth grades). This free multimedia educational program is designed to teach students and their families how to use, store and dispose of OTC medicines safely, as well as how to avoid medicine mistakes and misuse. The program’s goal is to build children’s knowledge about OTC medicine safety and encourage responsible behavior before children start self-medicating. It features resources for teachers, school nurses and families, as well as a variety of multimedia tools.

Operation Prevention (free) 
Operation Prevention is a free, classroom-based lesson on prescription medications that can be downloaded online. It has 2 options: 1 targeted to middle school students and 1 targeted to high school students.

Middle and High School Resources

National Institute on Drug Abuse
Free science- and standards-based classroom lessons and multimedia activities on teens and drugs (alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, e-cigarettes, etc.).

Over-the-Counter Medicine Safety
Engage students, grades 5-8, in a critical conversation about responsible medicine use. Research shows that children begin to self-medicate at around age 11 (in fifth and sixth grades). This free multimedia educational program is designed to teach students and their families how to use, store and dispose of OTC medicines safely, as well as how to avoid medicine mistakes and misuse. The program’s goal is to build children’s knowledge about OTC medicine safety and encourage responsible behavior before children start self-medicating. It features resources for teachers, school nurses, and families, as well as a variety of multimedia tools.

EVERFI
EVERFI’s health and wellness suite offers educators the platform to create a comprehensive, customized learning experience, deepening student knowledge across a range of topics such as prescription drug safety, vaping, alcohol and mental wellness. These interactive, online resources are available to schools free of charge.

Operation Prevention
Operation Prevention is a free, classroom-based lesson on prescription medications that can be downloaded online. It has options targeted to Middle School students and High School students.

Generation Rx
Generation Rx provides free resources to educate people of all ages about the potential dangers of misusing prescription medications. The program focuses on safe use, storage and disposal of medications and offers materials for medication safety education among youth, college students, other adults and seniors in communities.

Resources to Share With Parents

Prepped & Ready
Children’s Mercy Hospital provides presentations for parents of teens, with an emphasis on steps to create a safer home environment. The presentation emphasizes safe storage of medications and firearms.

Out of Reach
“Out of Reach" is a short (25-minute) documentary created by a teen filmmaker that captures the issue of prescription drug abuse through the eyes of a teen. The free documentary and toolkit are designed to help you spread the word about medicine abuse to parents and concerned adults in your communities and schools and to anyone who has an interest in learning more.

National Institute on Drug Abuse
Information to help talk with teens about drugs and their effects, and where to go get help.