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"Safe Schools/Healthy Students"
Auburn, New York
| Partners: | Auburn Enlarged City School District Cayuga County Health & Human Services Department Auburn and Port Byron Police Department | |
Situated in the upstate Finger Lakes area of New York, Cayuga County contains both suburban and rural areas. Its population of 84,600 residents is characterized by high levels of unemployment. The Cayuga County School District includes Auburn and Port Byron which have been plagued by chronic school-related bomb threats. There are high percentages of students who drink, smoke, use weapons, or have weapons used on them. Widespread school-related violence is leading to exceptionally high suspension rates. The teen pregnancy rate in Cayuga County is 10% higher than that of the state.
In addition to the core partners, other agencies involved in the Partnership include Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Cayuga County Health and Human Services Department, the Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center, Cayuga County Sheriff, New York State Police, Cayuga County District Attorney, and Cayuga Probation Department.
The Cayuga Partnership Project will provide prenatal and post-partum home visits by nurses and clinical social workers to 75 high-risk families annually with parenting, nutritional, and other skills training, as well as enhanced day care for the children. For school-aged children, the Partnership will provide training on the relationship between mental health, substance abuse, violence in families, and violence by children. To promote healthy lifestyles, improve educational performance, and provide alternatives to risk-taking behavior, the project will expand after-school and weekend programming to include 250 students (about 5% of the school-aged children). After-school arts, recreational, and educational programs will be provided to 75 middle and high school students. One hundred students and 10 teachers will receive karate instruction annually. A zero drug tolerance curriculum will be established in six middle school campuses. To promote prosocial behaviors, the project will review and improve the disciplinary codes to ensure fair and rapid sanctions including community service. To heighten the efficacy of school discipline, all sanctions will be modified to reflect restorative justice and employ community service. A developmental program for teachers in all grades, designed to promote equal support and treatment of both low- and high-achieving students, and a program to help parents become more involved in their children's education, will be used to support educational reform. School Resource Officers (funded by the U.S. Department of Justice's COPS Office) will assist in implementing school and after-school programs to reduce truancy and increase graduation, enhance non-violent conflict resolution skills, and lower alcohol and substance abuse rates. The Partnership will also improve the schools' crisis preparedness by establishing routine security measures, crisis management, and post-critical incident debriefing.
An evaluation firm will serve as the local evaluator for this project. A process and outcome evaluation will be designed. Data gathered will provide local decision-makers with continuous feedback on all project components.
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[Westbury, New York]