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

"Safe Schools/Healthy Students"
Jonesboro, Arkansas

Partners:

Jonesboro Public Schools LEA Rivendell Behavioral Health Services Jonesboro Police Department

Located in the heartland of the United States, Jonesboro, Arkansas, is an example of an "all-American" community that faces escalating social risk factors. In March 1998, two middle school students shot numerous people, killing four students and a teacher. This random violence sent the schools and surrounding areas into shock, with few options for dealing with the difficult issues presented. In addition, crime rates for juveniles (use of alcohol and other drugs, physical force, and weapons) have increased 41% since 1990. The LEA serves 20,460 young people under the age of 18 in Craighead County, which includes four school districts: Jonesboro, Westside, Nettleton, and Valley View. While the county has historically been primarily homogeneous, 21% of the young people now in the Jonesboro School District are minority students, primarily African American. Annually, approximately 5,500 families receive food stamps, and 1,750 receive assistance from AFDC. Thirty-five percent of the children in Craighead County Schools participate in the free and reduced cost lunch program, with several schools qualifying as many as 80% of their students.

The partners in this initiative will work in conjunction with existing alcohol and drug programs, human services programs, and early childhood programs, such as Head Start and the United Way of Jonesboro.

There are substantial gaps in services in Craighead County, most notably in the area of after school programs and social skills/academic readiness programs. The Safe Schools Initiative will serve to fill these gaps and centralize services to all of the area's youth and their families. By reducing or eliminating obstacles in the educational environment and culture, the initiative will maximize the opportunity of every child to learn. School staff will receive age-appropriate and gender-specific training, and develop and implement "best practices" strategies. Kindergarten through 12th grade curricula will incorporate alcohol and other drug education, anger management, and other appropriate social skills development. Alternative therapeutic settings will be established to continue the education of students who are temporarily suspended. The Safe Schools Initiative will also provide summer in-home services for at-risk children and families, as well as education and daycare for children of teenage mothers. Expanded school-based mental health services will be available to all families through the partnerships that have been developed. School reform will include the development and implementation of school safety policies and procedures. The physical safety of the buildings will be improved by adding fencing, lighting, and security equipment.

The evaluation plan includes use of the Biometric Identification Scanning and Student Database system to allow the school districts to easily track and analyze key indicators of students' behavior and performance.

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