PSNI Professional Development
School Health Webinars
October 22, 2026
Times
- 2:00 - 3:00p - Eastern
- 1:00 - 2:00p - Central
- 12:00 - 1:00p - Mountain
- 11:00 - 12:00p - Pacific
Vaping, Synthetic Drugs, and Emerging Substance Threats: Recognition, Response, and Prevention in Schools
This is a special 1 hour webinar!
Vaping and substance use among youth continue to evolve, creating new challenges for schools and school health professionals. This presentation will review the prevalence and health risks associated with vaping, nicotine addiction, synthetic drugs, and cannabis products, including drug-laced vapes, THC concentrates ("wax"), Spice/K2, Kratom/7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), fentanyl, and other emerging substances. Participants will learn how students access these products, warning signs and symptoms to monitor, and the potential for overdose and other serious health consequences. The session will discuss evidence-based response strategies, including the role of naloxone (Narcan), the importance of stocking naloxone alongside AEDs in schools, and developing a coordinated plan for prevention, preparedness, and intervention to help protect student health and safety.
Webinar Speaker
The speaker is:
Rebekah L. French, DNP, FNP-C is a Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared Family Nurse Practitioner who has been practicing since 2017. She primarily works in a rural family medicine clinic and then at an urgent care one day per week in northern New Mexico near the Four Corners region. After graduating from nursing school in 2007, Rebekah gained extensive experience in critical care nursing, including roles in the Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Cath Lab, and trained other nurses as the Cardiology Clinical Educator.
Committed to improving the health and well-being of her community, Rebekah has become a strong advocate for increasing awareness of youth vaping, synthetic drugs, and the growing threat of fentanyl exposure among students. Through her clinical practice, community involvement, and service as a local school board member, she works to promote prevention, preparedness, and evidence-based strategies to help keep students safe and healthy.
Nursing contact hours (1 contact hour for this workshop) are provided by Northeastern University School of Nursing, accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.