Students and DRock ask WCCUSD to pilot student-designed Rocket drug-education curriculum

At the May 27 West Contra Costa Unified School District board meeting, Raquel Antelin, coordinator for DRock (Discovering the Reality of our Communities), presented Rocket — Redirecting Our Community's Education on Drugs — a six-session, student-created curriculum designed for prevention, harm reduction and informed decision-making.

Antelin said Rocket was developed by students at El Sobrante and Richmond-area schools after youth research identified gaps in local drug education. The pilot involved 61 students across four classrooms and five educators. Antelin summarized pilot survey results: 85% of participating students reported increased awareness of substance-use consequences, 67% reported they acquired skills related to responding to an opioid overdose, and 82% said they felt better able to identify resources and support.

Student speakers and parents, many representing DRock, asked the board to review the Rocket curriculum, commit to a pilot and collaborate with student leaders to create an implementation pathway. "Students should not have to learn about drugs and alcohol through trauma, social media or personal loss," a student speaker said.

Public comments during the meeting repeatedly returned to the Rocket request: students, teachers and community prevention coordinators described vaping and alcohol prevalence in schools and urged prevention that is early, evidence-informed and student-centered. Prevention partners at Richmond and Kennedy High Schools stated that early education can reduce risks and support academic success.

Board members did not take immediate action to adopt the curriculum but directed staff to include the request in program review and follow-up discussions; district staff indicated the next steps would include curriculum review, impact assessment and potential piloting at sites that opt in.

Provenance: DRock presentation and student remarks (transcript SEG 902SEG 1060); clustered public comments in the public-comment period (SEG 1147SEG 1782 and continuing through SEG 2365).