BACKGROUND

The Norristown Area School District is pleased to have implemented comprehensive, district-wide support services under its Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, a four-year federal grant awarded to the district in July of 2008. As of January 2009, school-based services have been activated in the three middle schools and the high school, providing our young people with a variety of support and counseling options intended to address personal and interpersonal issues that have the potential to affect both their academic achievement and quality of life. To that end, the district has contracted with the East and West Norriton and Norristown Police Departments and a variety of community service providers in an effort to deliver quality services to students and families served by the Norristown Area School District.

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HIGHLIGHTS

The following community organizations are currently providing comprehensive school- and family-based services for the Norristown Area School District:

East and West Norriton and Norristown Police Departments- Four School Resource Officers, assigned to the three middle schools and the high school, functioning in advisor, instructor, role model, and law enforcement capacities in order to address bullying, alcohol and other drug prevention, and other student concerns.

Family Services- School-based staff providing: the Community That Cares-sponsored �LifeSkills Training� educational program for students enrolled in grades four through eight; parenting education programs offered to pre-school, elementary, middle school, high school, and Roosevelt Academy parents.

The Lincoln Center- Counseling staff assigned to Norristown Area High School providing: Student Assistance Program mental health and alcohol and other drug intervention services; evidence-based individual and group counseling support, as well as facilitating the Norristown Area Fight Against Drugs student coalition.

Central MH/MR- Bi-lingual individual and group mental health support services for identified at-risk middle and high school students; referral as necessary to community-based treatment services.

Carson Valley Children's Aid- Behavior Specialist providing counseling support and referral services for 17 to 21 year old students enrolled at the high school and Roosevelt Academy.

Norristown Neighborhood Center- Bi-lingual support services for Hispanic parents of pre-school children focusing on child development and parenting strategies.

Glen Mills Community Services- Transportation and behavioral support for identified truant and disruptive middle and high school students.

Periodic updates regarding the Norristown Area School District�s Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative�s services and activities will be communicated via the district�s website in order to inform community residents regarding the project�s progress going forward. Feel free to contact Project Director Jim Haig at your convenience either by phone or e-mail as listed below.

Email: JHaig@nasd.k12.pa.us
Phone: (610) 630-5149

Escuelas Seguras/Estudiantes Sanos

INFORMACION

El Distrito Escolar del �rea de Norristown se complace en haber implementado, servicios de apoyo integrales de todo el distrito bajo la iniciativa Escuelas Seguras/Estudiantes Sanos, un paquete de ayuda federal de cuatro a�os se otorg� al distrito en julio del 2008. A partir de enero del 2009, los servicios escolares se han activado en las tres escuelas secundarias y la escuela preparatoria, proporcionando a nuestros j�venes una gran variedad de apoyo y opciones de asesoramiento para discutir cuestiones personales e interpersonales que tienen el potencial de afectar su capacidad acad�mica y su calidad de vida. Para terminar, el distrito ha contratado a los Departamentos de Polic�a de West Norriton, East Norriton y Norristown y otros servicios de la comunidad para mantener servicios de calidad para los estudiantes y las familias que pertenecen al Distrito Escolar del �rea Norristown.

ALGUNOS SERVICIOS

Las siguientes organizaciones de la comunidad est�n proporcionando actualmente servicios completos basados en la escuela y la familia para el Distrito Escolar Del �rea de Norristown:

Departamentos de Polic�a de East Norriton, West Norriton y Norristown � Cuatro Oficiales de Recursos Escolares est�n asignados a las tres escuelas segundarias y la escuela preparatoria, funcionando como consejeros, instructores, modelos de conducta y agentes de orden para atender asuntos relacionados con la intimidaci�n, prevenci�n de alcohol y drogas y otras preocupaciones de los estudiantes.

Family Services � El personal de la escuela ofrece: Community That Cares que patrocina "LifeSkills Training� programa de educaci�n para los estudiantes inscritos en los grados de cuarto a octavo. Tambi�n ofrece programas de educaci�n para los padres de preescolar, primaria, secundaria, preparatoria y Roosevelt Academy.

The Lincoln Center � Consejeros asignados a la escuela preparatoria de Norristown proporcionando: un Programa de Asistencia a Estudiantes, salud mental y otros servicios de intervenci�n de alcohol y drogas. Estos servicios de intervenciones est�n basados en evidencia espec�fica con apoyo de orientaci�n individual y de grupo, tambi�n facilitando la asociaci�n de estudiantes de �Norristown Area Fight Against Drugs� contra de las drogas.

Central MH / MR � Servicios biling�es de apoyo y ayuda individual o de grupo, para salud mental, para estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria identificados como en-riesgo; ser�n referidos cuando sea necesario a servicios de tratamiento en la comunidad.

Norristown Neighborhood Center � Servicios biling�es de apoyo para padres Hispanos con hijos de preescolar, enfoc�ndose en el desarrollo de los hijos y estrategias de padres.

Glen Mills Community Services � Apoyo de transporte y conducta para estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria identificados como faltistas y con mal comportamiento.

Usted encontrar� nueva informaci�n sobre los servicios y actividades de la iniciativa Escuelas Seguras/Estudiantes Sanos del Distrito Escolar Del �rea de Norristown en la p�gina de Web del distrito para informar a los residentes de la comunidad sobre el progreso del proyecto. A su conveniencia, los padres pueden ponerse en contacto con el director del proyecto Jim Haig por tel�fono o por correo electr�nico.

Correo electr�nico: JHaig@nasd.k12.pa.us
Tel�fono: (610) 630-5149

School Resource Officer Program

As a critical component of the district�s Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, the School Resource Officer program provides a unique opportunity to further enhance the support services offered to students and families served by the Norristown Area School District. Functioning in their roles as advisors, mentors, role models, and instructors, the four officers assigned by East and West Norriton and Norristown Police Departments to the middle and high school settings have been able to make significant strides in addressing a wide variety of student issues and concerns. By promoting relationships based on trust, the SROs have been able to engage the student population in a proactive, preventive manner rather than merely reacting to situational crises. A critical aspect of their roles is to not only provide support to the victims of bullying and harassment, but also to intervene with identified perpetrators and address the underlying causes of youthful intimidation and harassment. Functioning as school-based resource persons, the officers are available to conduct classroom presentations, staff in-services, and parent informational sessions related to personal safety, crisis response, interpersonal intimidation, drug and alcohol prevention, and gang affiliation awareness. In their capacity as representatives of the law enforcement establishment, the SROS will also be called upon to respond as necessary to school-based criminal violations involving interpersonal conflict, weapons, and possession of alcohol and other drugs. The overarching rationale for the implementation of the SRO program within the district is to foster an inclusive educational environment in which all students feel safe and secure and both learning and personal worth are valued, promoted, and sustained. We sincerely appreciate the personal investment that each of our School Resource Officers has made in the lives of students and families served by the Norristown Area School District.

Nationwide Perspective

In 1999, the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice embarked on a unique and unprecedented collaboration, creating the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative in response to rising concerns about youth violence and school safety. This Federal grant, available to communities across the country, recognizes that violence among young people is caused by a multitude of factors�including early childhood, family life, mental health, and substance abuse issues�and that no single action can be counted on to prevent it. As such, the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative takes a broad approach, drawing on the best practices and the latest thinking in education, justice, social services, and mental health to help communities take action. Safe Schools/Healthy Students has provided financial and technical support to more than 300 schools and communities in urban, suburban, rural, and tribal areas nationwide. In turn, grantees partner with local school districts, law enforcement agencies, public and private mental health services organizations, and community-based organizations. The result is a coordinated, cooperative effort that recognizes the complexity of youth violence.

The diversity of Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant recipients is vast, and the Initiative recognizes and respects each community�s capacity to best address its own vision for youth violence prevention. Funds are used creatively to link new and existing services at each grant site, making it easier for children and families to get the comprehensive support they need. Incorporating strategies for prevention as well as intervention, grant funding allows schools and communities to address issues of youth violence as they appear�while working to prevent violence before it starts.

Additionally, grantees use programs and services with a proven track record of success to help them achieve their goals. These programs are also known as �evidence-based� programs because of the extensive research that has proven their effectiveness. These evidence-based programs support children by fostering greater self-confidence, creating meaningful activities for youth, and promoting mentoring and community service. They might include efforts to promote students� cooperation with their peers, set standards of behavior, develop healthy student/family relationships, increase parental involvement in schools, build emotional resiliency, and strengthen communication and problem-solving skills.

Results are important. As communities implement different strategies, outcomes are evaluated and progress is measured. Success stories abound in communities of every size and from every region of the country. Collectively, Safe Schools/Healthy Students grantees are making an enormous impact on the quality of life for the children, families, and communities they serve.