House Bill (HB) 142 was passed by the Kentucky State Legislature and signed by Governor Andy Beshear during the 2024 Legislative Session. HB 142 affects the way Kentucky’s public schools implement their tobacco-free campus policies. The following resources for schools have been compiled by the Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program at the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Division of Substance Use Disorder, Prevention & Promotion Branch of the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities, in consultation with the Kentucky Department of Education. These recommendations and resources are intended to help ensure local school districts are implementing programs and resources that have been proven effective through research and evidence.
Beginning of School Year Requirements
Section 1(3)(a) requires the district to distribute evidence-based, age-appropriate nicotine prevention and cessation material to all students at the beginning of each year.
Recommended materials and action steps
- Send a letter to parents, guardians, and school staff explaining the revised school policy, along with a copy of the new policy or where to find it. (See Section 1(3)(c).)
- Provide information on Kentucky’s free tobacco quitlines: Quit Now Kentucky (for those 18 and over) and My Life, My Quit (for those 17 and younger).
- Share resources with parents, such as the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Talk to Kids About the Risks of Vaping and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC’s) E-Cigarettes and Youth: What Parents Need to Know.
- Reach out to the local Regional Prevention Center or local health department to inquire about a school staff member being trained as a parent educator.
Throughout the School Year Requirements
Section 1(3)(b) requires all students of the district have access to evidence-based, age-appropriate nicotine prevention and cessation material throughout the school year.
Recommended materials and action steps for prevention
Grades K-4: Implement Too Good for Drugs along with the CATCH My Breath K-4 Parent Activity, which can be implemented in a classroom setting with teacher guidance.
Grades 5-12: Implement one of the following programs:
Face-to-face programs (most recommended):
CATCH My Breath, a no-cost program with a cannabis-education component, available in English and Spanish;
The Stanford Tobacco Toolkit, including You & Me, Together Vape-Free, a no-cost program with a cannabis-education component; or
#iCANendthetrend, a group from the University of Kentucky College of Education that presents a three-lesson program to schools at no cost. This program is an appropriate supplement for schools implementing Too Good for Drugs.
Online programs:
Vaping: Know the Truth, a no-cost program from Truth Initiative for grades 8 through 12, that contains a cannabis-education component; or
A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE), a no-cost program from MD Anderson, available in English and Spanish.
Recommended materials and action steps for preventionOrganize an in-person Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) cessation group for students who want to stop using e-cigarettes. (Facilitator training costs $400.)
Identify a school staff member in each building who can connect people to free, evidence-based digital resources like:
- Quit Now Kentucky, a telephone quitline and website for those 18 and over;
- My Life, My Quit, a text quitline and website for those 17 and younger; and
- NOT for Me, a self-guided, mobile-friendly online program to help teens break nicotine dependency
Make sure school health staff know about the American Lung Association’s Tobacco Cessation Quick Reference Guide for youth tobacco use.
Provide ongoing support for students to engage in My Life, My Quit or other cessation services.
Jessica Napier
Office of Continuous Improvement and Support
Division of Student Success
300 Sower Blvd., 5th Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564-4772
jessica.napier@education.ky.gov