A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

"Toledo System of Care (TOSC)"
Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio is an urban center in a 10-county region with a population of approximately 340,000.The Toledo Public Schools serves 38,000 ethnically diverse students in 44 elementary schools, 8 junior high schools, 7 senior high schools, one alternative school and 13 special learning centers. Seventy-two percent of students receive free or reduced lunch. The inability of systems to respond to the needs of low-functioning families and families in crisis is apparent. Last year there were more than 5,800 arrests and 3,1000 referrals for child abuse. The school system recorded almost 13,000 suspensions for behavioral problems, 1,086 fight/assaults and 91 weapons violations. A total of 81% of 4^th grade students and 69% of 9^th grade students failed to pass all state academic proficiency tests. Substance abuse is a contributing factor to student failure and mental health needs of students are going unmet. A survey of 9^th grade students showed that 14.4% had attempted suicide.

Agencies collaborating with the lead partners include Harbor Behavioral Health Care, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the University of Toledo, New Connecting Point, and Lucas County Department of Human Services. Additional partners include the juvenile justice system, parent associations and children service organizations.

The primary objective of Toledo System of Care (TOSC) is the establishment of an integrated community-wide system of care to meet the challenges of developing safe, drug-free, emotionally and physically healthy students, families and learning environments. Early childhood education efforts consist of collaborations with Head Start to improve school readiness, home visits to enhance child and family functioning, and family meetings to reduce feelings of social isolation. After school recreation, mentoring and academic enhancement programs will be designed to boost skills to prevent substance abuse and violence. In-school systems of care committees in 21 schools will connect and integrate health and mental health services for students identified through screening and referral sources. There will also be professional staff development activities to increase the capacity of teachers, parents and other providers to identify and prevent problem behaviors. A truancy drop-off center will be established and students will be linked to community resources. To encourage continued education reform a Safe Schools/Healthy Students Summit will be held. Finally, each school will undergo a safety audit and school resource officers will have expanded responsibilities to teach law-related education, promote bus safety, and coordinate services with juvenile court and probation.

As part of the evaluation effort, TOSC proposes a comparative study between "control schools" receiving no additional services, schools receiving a combination of interventions, and schools with full-time mental health professionals, nurses, or school resource officers to determine the effectiveness of intervention and referral services.

Return to Press Release