Starting this fall, our school’s health staff will begin a health screening called SBIRT (which stands for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), which is used to screen for alcohol, nicotine, tobacco, and other drug use. This health screening is required by Massachusetts law.
Students in grades 7 and 9 will take part in this screening, which takes about 5-10 minutes. School health staff will speak one-on-one with students to ask students about alcohol, nicotine, tobacco, or other drug use over the past year. Staff will then speak with with each student about how to support their overall health, safety, and success in school. If the student needs more assessment or support, health staff may work with the student and/or their parent/guardian.
The questions asked during this screening are listed in the CRAFFT+N screening tool, which you can request a copy from your child’s school nurse. Please read this tool, which the Department of Public Health has approved.
Please note:
Screening results are recorded. No information that could identify a student is kept (for example, name or date of birth).
Screening results will not go into the student’s school record.
Screening results will not be shared without the permission of the student or their parent/guardian. However, results may be shared in the case of an immediate medical emergency or when required by state law.
As with any school health screening, you can opt your child out of this process. Students themselves may also choose not to take part. If you do not want your child to participate in this screening or you have questions, contact your child’s school nurse.
Parents and guardians can help their children make healthy choices. One important way to prevent alcohol and drug use is to talk with them about your thoughts and expectations. Some resources that can help these discussions include: