School Staff

• Interior Health services to schools
• Public Health News - Information to schools
• School nurse contact information
• Wildfire smoke - School and childcare facilities
• Extreme heat - School and childcare facilities
• Wildfire Smoke Recommendations for Schools - BCCDC

The Health Promoting School (HPS) Coordinator Initiative provides partial funding for HPS Coordinator positions at the School District level. Through this initiative, we aim to promote and support ‘Health Promoting Schools’ settings within School Districts as defined by the widely recognized pillars of Comprehensive School Health.

A wide variety of health promotion resources can be found below.

School nurses provide support to schools by preventing diseases and injuries, and helping to support those with health concerns. Public health nurses (PHNs) work in partnership with school staff, students, parents and the community to promote health and prevent disease and injury for school-aged children and youth.

Public health dietitians are available to work with school district staff such as school food coordinators and Health Promoting School Coordinators to:   

• Provide resources for integrating food literacy into the curriculum
• Support heathy school food environments 
• Develop school nutrition policies and follow provincial guidelines as they apply to school food 

For resources to support curriculum and for information on healthy eating at school, see Teaching About Food and Nutrition.  

Our Youth Harm Reduction toolkit was designed to assist Interior Health staff, community partners, schools and others who work with youth to find credible harm reduction information, resources and tools to support them in the important work they do.

View information from the toolkit for schools

View all sections of the toolkit

PreVenture is a mental health promotion and substance use prevention program aimed at students in grades 7 or 8. The program is strengths based, personality focused, and evidence informed. PreVenture has demonstrated positive outcomes in mental wellness, self management and decision-making, as well as reductions in bullying and substance use behaviours.

Interior Health offers support to school districts interested in delivering the PreVenture program in two or more of their schools, and is also partnering with interested Independent and First Nations schools. If you would like more information about PreVenture and how to become involved, please email healthyschools@interiorhealth.ca. To learn more about the developers of the program and read published research, visit PreVenture.

Commercial tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and illness in Canada, and 90 per cent of smokers today started before they were age 18. Increases in youth vaping have also become a significant concern in more recent years due to the appeal of available flavours and the ease with which vape devices can be concealed.

Cannabis is another substance commonly used among youth because they feel it benefits them. Some of the most common reasons why youth might use cannabis are to feel good, relax, or reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. However, youth under age 25 are at greater risk of developing mental health problems from regular cannabis use because their brains are still developing.

Legislation is a key tool in reducing tobacco, cannabis and vapour product use and protecting youth from accessing tobacco, cannabis and vapour products. All public and private kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in B.C. are tobacco, cannabis and vape-free under the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act and Regulation, and the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act. This ban extends to all school property 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of whether or not school is in session. The ban also includes vehicles, parking lots, sports fields, driveways, courtyards and private vehicles parked on school property.