The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) is a public education organization offering support services to 27 school districts and more than 600 schools and 20,000 educators serving over 500,000 students in Orange County.
OCDE’s personnel offer support, professional development, and student programs through its divisions and departments: Administrative Services, Alternative Education, Business Services, Career and Technical Education, Information Technology, Instructional Services, Legal Services, Community and Student Support Services, and Special Education.
Our vision is that "Orange County students will lead the nation in college and career readiness and success." We play a supportive role in the fulfillment of this vision in collaboration with educators at all levels of student development, from early childhood through higher education, and in partnership with families, businesses, and community organizations.
We believe that to lead the nation in college and career readiness and success is a high ambition, but within the reach of Orange County students.
Adolescents and Mental Health
By Johanna Parra, MA, PPS. Orange County Dept. of Education jparra@ocde.ud
Statistics on Mental Illness; Children and Teens
- Behavior/Conduct Disorder (10%)
- Substance Use Disorder (10%)
- Anxiety Disorder (8%)
- Learning Disorder (5%)
- ADHD (5%)
- Depression (5%)
- 1 in 5 children experience a mental health condition during childhood
- 50% of all adults with a lifetime mental illness report having symptoms by age 14.
- Only 1/3 receive any kind of treatment
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in ages 10-34
- 90% of those who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness.
Source: Mental Health First Aid USA; National Alliance on Mental Illness
The 3 G's (Guide, Guard, Govern) Presentation
Research has discovered that one of the most effective strategies parents, grandparents, and other primary care givers have for raising healthy, well-adjusted kids is to frequently eat meals together as a family.
This positive, strength-based approach to parenting focuses on what's right with kids (and parents), and the small, everyday steps you can take to help kids be successful in the future. Topics include:
- Discipline & Values
- Time Together
- Technology & Media
- High Risk Behaviors
- Other Hot Topic
Write a Contract With Your Kids
Because teenagers are more likely to follow guidelines they help create, get together to design rules and consequences that work for you both. Then consider putting the details in writing to make sure you're on the same page (now and in the future). Use the sample contract as a guide to establish rules about drugs and alcohol.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention

The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE)
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This California Department of Education website provides information for families, schools, and districts.
- Fourth District PTA is an organization of twenty councils which represent all of Orange County PTA members as well as members in a small portion of Los Angeles County.
- This website from The State Bar of California contains English and Spanish versions of "Kids & the Law: an A-Z Guide for Parents."
- Orange County Department of Education's web resource provides information about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act and the Homeless Outreach Promoting Educational Success (HOPES) Collaborative.
- This page of the US Department of Education's website provides information for parents on topics like "Helping Your Child", "Federal Student Aid", "Parents Guide to School Success", and much more.
- This page entitled "Parent Involvement" is meant for a broad audience to address specific provisions under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It can be used by families, schools, and districts.
Prevention Resources - For Staff
As teachers and staff at schools there are a number of demands as well as information that is always constantly changing and evolving. To support you as staff in Orange County, OCDE has collected a number of resources that provide information, activities and programs that can be utilized at schools and in classrooms.
Staff Support This link provides a couple resources on a variety of topics that staff deals with, involving students in their classrooms. Positive mental health of your students leads to better learning and better grades, learn ways you can promote better health and encourage your students towards positive lifestyles.
Developmental Assets Workshops Research consistently shows that the more assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in a wide range of high-risk behaviors and the more likely they are to thrive. This workshop will introduce the 40 Developmental Assets and explore ways they can be incorporated into programs for youth. Learn ways that you can immediately start building more assets in young people! Contact Stacy Deeble-Reynolds to schedule a training for your school site.
Drugs and Alcohol Resources Drugs and alcohol negatively affect students learning in the classroom. Students often spend more time at school and with their teachers than they do at home and with their parents. Learn symptoms of drug and alcohol abuse in youth and help prevent it early, before it leads to a full blown addiction and kids suffer in their education or drop out. Also as teachers you have the ability to talk with your student's parents and discuss things they can do at home and with their teens to reduce substance abuse.
Tobacco Resources Many tobacco uses started before the age of 18, learn about new products that tobacco companies are using to get youth addicted and how to incorporate tobacco information into lesson plans. Adults serve as role models for youth. If students have parents that smoke, or teachers that smoke, help provide them with smoking cessation services and products by calling 1-866-NEW-LUNG.
Violence and Bullying Prevention This page helps to provide resources about violence and bullying to teachers, again students spend most of their time at school and with teachers, so it is important to know the signs of a student who is being bullied. Use these resources to find information on bullying, how to spot the symptoms of a student who is being bullied and programs that can be implemented in your school
Prevention Resources - For Students
The links below are provided as a resource by the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE). School districts and community college districts in Orange County are independent agencies that are governed locally by elected Boards of Trustees.
K-12 School Districts
Anaheim Elementary School District
Anaheim Union High
Brea Olinda Unified
Buena Park
Capistrano Unified
Centralia Elementary
Cypress
Fountain Valley
Fullerton
Fullerton Joint Union High
Garden Grove Unified
Huntington Beach City
Huntington Beach Union High
Irvine Unified
Laguna Beach Unified
La Habra City
Los Alamitos Unified
Lowell Joint
Magnolia
Newport-Mesa Unified
Ocean View
Orange Unified
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
Saddleback Valley Unified
Santa Ana Unified
Savanna
Tustin Unified
Westminster
OCDE Schools
ACCESS (Alternative, Community, and Correctional Education Schools and Services)
Special Education
Community College Districts
Coast
North Orange County
Rancho Santiago
South Orange County
Public Schools Directory-Online
Source: OCDE Orange County Department of Education
714-327-1057
714-966-4450

714-966-4485
714-966-4305
714-966-4311