I know our current focus clearly lies with supporting our schools and communities through the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompany challenges that this is creating for educational environments and the public. With that in mind, I would still like to share some upcoming important dates aligned to supporting students and fostering safe schools.
April is
Alcohol Awareness Month. This is a public health program organized by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence as a way of increasing outreach and education regarding the dangers of alcoholism and issues related to alcohol.
For additional information and resources visit:
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. This is a time to raise public awareness of child abuse and neglect, recommit efforts and resources aimed at protecting children and strengthening families, and promote community involvement through activities that support this cause.
For additional information and resources visit:
April is Counseling Awareness Month. This is a time focused on the advocacy for the profession of counseling, as well as, to celebrate accomplishments within the field.
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April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This is a time to raise awareness of the issues such as cell phone use or programming an in-vehicle infotainment system which divert your attention away from driving and commit to keeping our roads safer.
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Monday, April 20th through Friday, April 24th is Every Kid Healthy Week. This is an annual observance created in 2013 to celebrate school health and wellness achievements, shining a spotlight on the great actions schools and families are taking to improve the health and wellness of their kids and the link between nutrition, physical activity, mental health and learning.
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Monday, April 27th through Friday, May 1st is National Playground Safety Week. This is a time to focus on the outdoor environments where children play and commit to being safe and making good decisions when playing.
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Monday April 6th through Sunday, April 12th is National Public Health Week. This is a time to recognize the contributions made in public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation.
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April is National Youth Sports Safety Month. This is a time dedicated to helping raise awareness of sports injuries in kids while also helping parents, coaches and student athletes learn how to avoid injuries.
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Friday, April 10th is National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day. This is a time to educate the public about the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people and to highlight the work young people are doing across the country to respond to the epidemic.
For additional information and resources visit:
Monday March 30th through Friday, April 3rd is National Youth Violence Prevention Week. This is a time dedicated to raising awareness and educating youth and communities on effective strategies to prevent youth violence before it happens through initiatives that involve activities demonstrating the positive role young people can have in making their school and community safe, and the role that everyone can play in preventing youth violence.
For additional information and resources visit:
Thursday, April 2nd is Sexual Assault Awareness Day of Action. This is a time to focus awareness on sexual violence prevention, through the coordinated planning of special events to raise awareness, media attention and national momentum for ending and preventing sexual violence.
For additional information and resources visit:
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This is an annual campaign to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.
For additional information and resources visit:
Tuesday, April 7 is World Health Day. This is a celebration aimed at creating awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization. This year's focus is on supporting nurses and midwives.
For additional information and resources visit:
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Adam Lustig
Director, Center for Safe Schools
National School Boards Association
Alexandria, VA
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