Eanes ISD’s School Safety and Health Advisory Council has worked on a number of initiatives throughout the 2023-24 school year, including awareness campaigns on vaping, fentanyl, suicide and more.

A presentation of the council's work was shared during the April 9 board study session by Chief Human Resources Officer Laurie Lee; SSHAC co-chair Maram Museitief; and Molly May, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment.

A closer look

The SSHAC consists of parents and EISD staff who make recommendations to district leaders about the health and well-being of students.

The council kicked off its 2023-24 year with a presentation from the American Heart Association, which shared information on the Kids’ Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge for elementary and secondary students.


The council also discussed a number of updates from the 88th Texas Legislature, and the presentation shared how the district has responded to them throughout the year, including:
  • House Bill 114, which outlines disciplinary action for students who sell or use e-cigarettes while on school property. Awareness posters about vaping have been put up around EISD campuses.
  • House Bill 3908, which requires public schools to provide fentanyl awareness and prevention instruction. Hays County community members presented a fentanyl awareness campaign to EISD students.
  • House Bill 473, which requires a parent or guardian to be notified before a threat assessment is made toward a student. New EISD Chief of Police Matt Greer shared the district's notification process with the council.
“I think it’s really good for our community, our students and our teachers to know what else is going on,” Lee said. “Sometimes it’s good to get together and see those processes.”

What else?

EISD's Coordinator of Counseling Heidi Sauer also gave presentations about suicide prevention, increasing high school student awareness on counseling services and how the district can better support its LGBTQ+ student population, which was recently highlighted by EISD's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Advisory Committee.

A community suicide awareness and prevention presentation—intended for adults only—will also be shown April 16.


Also of note

District officials announced in August that EISD would be going off the federal food nutrition program for the 2023-24 school year.

Staff from the Child Nutrition department updated the council on the new food program, saying it has resulted in more scratch cooking, more beverage options and the use of more local produce.

“I think that the switch has been good for the students with [more] choice,” May said. “[There are] a lot of different kinds of options that they have and some healthier options that are now available.”