OCDE Prevention Education Coordinator Stephan Lambert speaks with an attendee during the department’s Thrive Resource Fair on Sept. 25, 2025, at the OCDE Conference Center in Costa Mesa. 
OCDE Youth Development Programs Specialist Stephanie Loscko leads a workshop during the Rise Above the Influence Youth Conference in May 2024. The event brought together students, families and educators for sessions focused on substance use prevention and healthy decision-making.
Two Orange County Department of Education staff members are contributing their expertise to a national conversation about students, social media and digital wellness.
Stephan Lambert, OCDE’s coordinator of Prevention Education, and Stephanie Loscko, a program specialist for Youth Development Programs, are featured in “Students Are Rethinking Social Media,” published in the September 2026 issue of Educational Leadership. According to the magazine, which has provided educators with peer-to-peer guidance and inspiration since 1943, this month’s issue focuses on “Keeping Students Digitally Healthy.”
Written by Danielle Hawkins, the article examines how young people are becoming more aware of the benefits and potential downsides of social media and how educators can help students develop healthier digital habits. Lambert and Loscko joined researchers, educators and youth voices from across the country in sharing perspectives and practice communities.
Their contributions highlighted work taking place through OCDE programs that support Orange County schools and students. Lambert oversees Well Connected, which empowers high school students to create peer-to-peer resources promoting healthy technology use, while Loscko leads the Student Advocates for Mental Health Program, where student leaders help promote mental health and healthy decision-making in their school communities.
Among the themes they discussed were helping students understand how digital platforms compete for their attention, addressing the effects of technology use on sleep and focus, and approaching conversations about social media with empathy rather than judgment. They also emphasized giving young people opportunities to lead these conversations themselves.
Readers can find “Students Are Rethinking Social Media” and the full September 2026 issue of Educational Leadership online.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Orange County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stefan Bean reflects on his experience as a fifth-grade teacher on Sept. 11, 2001, and the lessons of compassion, unity and being present for students during times of uncertainty.
- OCDE has launched a redesigned website with improved navigation, mobile functionality and updated content to make its programs, services and resources easier to find.
- OCDE’s second annual Connected Leadership Conference will bring Orange County school district business services and human resources professionals together Oct. 20 for a free day of professional learning, collaboration and strategies for navigating organizational change.
- More than 200 Orange County high school seniors have been named 2027 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, placing them among approximately 16,000 students nationwide eligible to advance in the scholarship competition.
- Los Alamitos High School students in a new Advanced Live Broadcasting class produced their first live varsity football broadcast, gaining hands-on experience with cameras, directing, announcing, audio and graphics.
- Contract talks between Saddleback Valley Unified School District and its teachers union have reached an impasse over class sizes and special education caseloads, though the two sides have reached agreements on salary and benefits.
- As the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, Southern California educators are using memorials, firsthand accounts and classroom lessons to help a new generation of students understand the events and their lasting impact.
- Blue Origin astronaut and educator Aymette Medina Jorge will help kick off the fifth annual STEAM Race to Space Reading Challenge on Sept. 19, inviting Orange County students to explore reading and STEAM through hands-on activities and real-world experiences.
- Marina High School has hired Jonathan Goffman as its new athletic director, bringing experience as a teacher, coach, athletic director and dean of students in New York.
- A new study found that California’s later school start-time requirements are associated with more sleep, improved mental health and higher math and English scores among middle and high school students.
- Some California parents are calling for cameras in special education classrooms to protect students who may be unable to report suspected mistreatment, but existing state law raises legal and privacy barriers to classroom recording.
- A new Gallup poll found that 32% of U.S. adults are satisfied with the nation’s K-12 education system, the lowest level recorded since Gallup began tracking the measure 27 years ago.
- A growing number of teenagers are turning to AI chatbots for mental health and emotional support, raising questions about their potential to expand access to help as well as the risks of overreliance and limited safeguards.
- A bill awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s action would require California schools to assess kindergarten through second-grade students in basic math skills beginning in 2028 and provide additional support for students who are falling behind.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.