The Dodge County Connections Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant consortium reported a successful first year at its annual meeting Aug. 20 at the Beaver Dam Educational Services Center.
The consortium, funded by a four-year competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, comprises the school districts and police departments of Beaver Dam, Dodgeland, Horicon, Hustisford, Lomira, Mayville, Neosho, and Waupun along with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, the Dodge County Department of Health and Human Services and Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
The over-arching aim of the SS/HS grant project is to address the social, emotional, academic and mental health needs and risk factors of over 10,000 students and their families across the communities it serves.
“The success of this sweeping initiative will be determined by the direct, measurable impacts it has on our county’s children and families over four years and beyond,” said Deb Parman, Beaver Dam schools’ director of pupil services and administrative agency representative for the SS/HS grant project. “In our first year of operation, we are well on our way to ensuring that we will significantly improve the safety and health of children and provide sustained support and services to their families, educators and communities.”
SS/HS grant evaluator, Carol Roth of Wisconsin’s Starfish Consulting Inc., presented “Year One” statistics in support of Parman’s predictions.
“In less than one year of partnership, our consortium has served 307 youth and 123 adults in comprehensive mental health services,” Roth said. “We have further served 134 youth in referrals for alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse issues. The SS/HS grant facilitated in-home visits to 177 youth and 131 families through June of 2009. These figures do not include additional direct contacts made with youth and families in immediate need and distress.”
Roth credited the team approach of Lutheran Social Services coordinators, school personnel, county agencies and law enforcement in making these gains in service possible.
In addition to direct student, family and educator services, the SS/HS grant funds school and community-based student and parent support groups that promote healthy childhood development, anti-violence and prevention of alcohol and other drug abuse. Ongoing training for teachers and school staff is offered in non-violent crisis intervention, at-risk behaviors, mental health issues, classroom climate and school safety.
Beginning in the 2009-10 school year, additional project activities will focus on mobile mental health services, crisis planning and trauma prevention, restorative justice practices, and after-school student and parent programs.
For a copy of the 2009 Safe Schools/Health Students Annual Report, or to inquire as to services provided by the grant in schools and communities served, contact Amy Booher, interim project director, Lutheran Social Services, 887-1920.