Next Thursday (January 19, 2023), Michael DeLeon of Steered Straight Inc., a non-profit organization headquartered in Murfreesboro, will have delivered his gripping drug education school assembly to more than 14 million students since 2007. Fittingly so, this target will be achieved when Mr. DeLeon delivers his lecture to students in Nashville’s own Davidson Academy:

DeLeon appeared on WGNS' Rutherford Issues with State Representative Mike Sparks, who plans to bring forth legislation this session to strengthen state laws against fentanyl and deeming it a "weapon of mass destruction."

For the past 17 years, Michael has traveled across the country, making a difference in the lives of people by sharing his story of drug addiction and incarceration to educate youth on the importance of making positive, informed choices that will affect the rest of their lives. This has become Michael’s life mission and he is intent on making sure that not one kid ever makes what was his past become their future. Michael lives to make a difference with America’s youth!

Since 2007, Steered Straight has held school presentations in more than 9200 US schools in all 50 states with more than 27,200 assemblies delivered to students, educators, school administrators, parents and community leaders. In 2022 alone, Steered Straight visited 280 schools and delivered school assemblies to more than 200,000 kids.

Steered Straight is in its 17th year of providing drug prevention school assemblies and they are now the #1 booked school presenters in America. When students receive their assembly, they are better informed and start to look at their choices in dramatically new ways. His “no holds barred” message resonates with student assemblies, faculty, parents and community members.

The content for Steered Straight’s school assemblies is current and relevant and delivered in engaging ways so as to impinge on our youth. These presentations change the perception of parents and staff from one of concern to an actionable crisis. By the end, they know that this generation is facing a pandemic and that it is vital to get students to understand the dangers drugs present before they ever start on that downward slide.

In this era of addictions, overdoses and drug poisonings with fentanyl, the message is vital but so is the messenger. Kids do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. The messenger must be believed for the message to get through. Steered Straight and Michael DeLeon do this effectively and powerfully.

Steered Straight is serious about handling these issues for your students. They not only deliver an impactful school assembly, but they educate teachers and parents on what they can do to help their kids deal with these life issues. Students are each given booklets with the truth about drugs, marijuana and alcohol. Each school is provided with a Back to the Classroom manual for continuing the conversation about drugs and their abuse in a variety of ways through the school setting.

Not only is Michael the top booked school presenter in America, he is also a leading expert on vaping and marijuana and one of the top educators on fentanyl. To spread this knowledge everywhere, Steered Straight offers free or minimal cost online drug education courses, including ones on Vaping and Fentanyl on their Learning Center which is available at https://courses.steeredstraight.org.

Learn more about Steered Straight and the work it is doing by going to www.steeredstraight.org.