Curriculum Department
SAISD
Quarterly Report
Department/Area: Title IV – Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities
Quarter: December 2001
Prepared By: Robbin Gesch, Eddie Salcido and Mary Lou Robbins
Budget Source: Title IV – Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities
Safe and Drug Free Schools Middle School Coordinator Grant
- Overview
The Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act was established to provide state and local education agencies funding to develop and enhance educational programs of violence and drug prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation referral in elementary and secondary schools. Private nonprofit school children and teachers are assured equitable participation in the purposes and benefits of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities program.
The purpose of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities program is to:
-support programs that prevent violence in and around schools;
-prevent the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs;
-involve parents, and
-coordinate with related federal, state, and community efforts and resources to promote safe and drug free schools and communities.
The San Angelo ISD drug prevention programs convey a clear and consistent message that the illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is wrong and harmful. The district operates school wide programs whereby prevention and intervention initiatives are conducted on a daily basis. The district program encompasses a comprehensive approach to drug free and violence prevention issues. Students will learn prevention strategies, be taught to manage and make positive choices regarding negative peer pressure, and develop good decision making skills.
San Angelo ISD currently employees one substance abuse counselor, seventeen elementary counselors, eight junior high school counselors, nine high school counselors, one alternative school counselor and one middle school coordinator. All counselors are involved in implementing programs that support drug and violence prevention. Classroom teachers and counselors are involved in providing age appropriate, developmentally based drug prevention and education programs for all students from the preschool level to grade 12. These programs address the legal, social, personal and health consequences of the use of illegal drugs, promote a sense of individual responsibility, and provide information about effective techniques for resisting peer pressure to use illegal drugs.
San Angelo ISD currently supports a drug testing program for all eligible secondary students. During the 2000-2001 school approximately 2000 students were tested. Test results are monitored by the substance abuse prevention counselor and the middle school coordinator. If a student tests positive for drug use, the substance abuse counselor will follow up with a counseling session with the student and arrange to discuss the test information with the guardian of the student. Follow up sessions are in place for individual counseling and additional drug testing. Appropriate intervention tactics are in place to assist the student and family. The drug testing is administered randomly through out the school year.
Random Drug Testing Results from September 2001-November 30, 2001
Campus / Negative / Positive A/C/CN / Condition L/D/S / No Results / Total Tested with final results / Up and Coming Scholars Tested / Total Number of Students with results pendingEdison / 84 / 0 / 3 / 1 / 88 / 20 / 74
Glenn / 70 / 1 / 4 / 3 / 77 / 9 / 102
Lee / 80 / 0 / 4 / 3 / 88 / 10 / 80
Lincoln / 81 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 84 / 21 / 0
Central / 101 / 6 / 1 / 0 / 108 / 0
* Lake View High School drug testing will begin the first week in December.
The district also supports the PRIDE (Positive Role Models in Drug Education) organization. This organization is initiated at the elementary level and continues in the junior highs and high schools. Volunteer teachers serve as PRIDE sponsors and give valuable time and effort to make this program a successful program district wide. The PRIDE organizations are the leaders in providing positive role models and organizing school wide events and activities. The substance abuse prevention counselor and the middle school coordinator assist the PRIDE teachers with activities and support.
PRIDE Membership from September 2001 – November 30, 2001
Campus / PRIDE MembershipEdison / 259
Glenn / 234
Lee / 259
Lincoln / 257
Central / 344
Lake View / Approximately 300
Alta Loma / 102
Austin / 60
Belaire / 59
Blackshear / 45
Bonham / 96
Bowie / 65
Bradford / 68
Crockett / 85
Day / 60
Fannin / 40
Ft. Concho / 68
Glenmore / 62
Goliad / 117
Holiman / 99
McGill / 26
Reagan / 30
Rio Vista / 33
San Jacinto / 63
Santa Rita / 60
Travis / 86
Total / 2977
The substance abuse prevention counselor and many of the school counselors are involved in training students to be peer mediators. The campuses facilitate the peer mediation opportunities once the training is complete. Peer mediation training will be conducted this year for schools interested in starting a peer mediation program.
Peer Mediation Training
School / Date / Trainer / # of students trainedGoliad / September 11 / Mary Lou
Robbins / 10
Fannin/Holiman / September 25 / Mary Lou
Robbins / 10/6
Crockett/ Bradford / September 26 / Mary Lou
Robbins / 10/19
Bonham / September 28 / Anne Hardegree/ Lynne Joynton / 10
Bowie / September 28 / Anne Hardegree/ Lynne Joynton / 10
McGill / September 28 / Dedra Butler / 10
Glenmore / October 23
October 24 / Jan Coffey / 16
Ft. Concho/Rio Vista / November 19 / Mary Lou Robbins / 12/12
Lee / November 29 / Mary Lou Robbin/ Suzanne Gould / 28
Belaire / Spring 2001 / Ethel Russell / 21
Lincoln / November 26 / Karen Brothers / 10
All four junior highs currently have the PALS program (Peer Assisted Leadership). These students have gone through extensive training sessions and actively seek out opportunities to assist others both in school and outside of school. These students have been involved in a variety of community service projects that make them stand out far and above many of the organizations on the campuses. PALS students are bused to the elementary campus were they serve as mentors and assist elementary students with reading and mathematics skills.
The PALS student leadership training took place in October 2001 with all four junior high schools students attending this training.
Parent involvement is a critical component of the safe and drug free schools success. We are fortunate that we have one parent volunteer who leads the PRIDE program at one of the elementary schools. Janie Delaney, Director of Family Services, will be instrumental in providing opportunities to parents through a program called “Practical Parent Education”. Module 5, Building a Powerful Parenting Role to Prevent Youth Substance Abuse, of this program is an extensive parent program on drug education, prevention and intervention. The “Practical Parent Education” classes are available to all San Angelo ISD parents. At the elementary and secondary campuses you will see parent involvement activities displayed under several different titles such as: Dads and Doughnuts, Parents and Pizza, Positive Steps, etc. On the high school campuses, we currently provide parenting support groups for new teen parents and support groups for “moms to be”. These students are some of our most at risk students and the groups have been successful in assisting students and providing an avenue for help instead of dropping out of school.
In the spring 2001, SAISD formed a drug task force to explore the substance abuse issues in our schools and communities. San Angelo I.S.D. held three community forums at the following sites and dates:
Glenn Junior High SchoolApril 5, 2001
Central High SchoolApril 10, 2001
Lincoln Junior High SchoolApril 12, 2001
These public forums gave parents, community members and students the opportunity to share their thoughts and insights as to the issues in our community concerning drugs and violence. This task force will continue to gather data and make recommendation to the SAISD school board. In July 2001, the SAISD school board approved several of the recommendations of this task force. They approved the use of Title IV funds to contract with the Safe School Hotline and to contract with an agency to bring trained drug dogs into our schools during the school year.
Drug Dog Detection
Campus / # of Campus Visits / Number of Incident involving illegal contrabandEdison / 2 / 2
Glenn / 1 / 1
Lee / 2 / 2
Lincoln / 2 / 2
Carver / 0 / 0
Central / 3 / 3
Lake View / 2 / 5
** Tobacco products and cigarette lighters are the most common found items on all campuses.
The Safe School Hotline has been officially up and running since the middle of October and the school district has received ten hotline tips on issues of concern.
Sam Houston Community Center was opened in September 1999. The center includes a parent resource center where parents throughout the district can access the latest information on parenting. Positive parenting classes and parent/child workshops with joint activities to learn and use in the home will be offered to families. The workroom will be available to parents to make “learning at home” Texas Assessment of Academic Skills-related games and activities. The large cafeteria will be used for after school tutoring, community education programs and activities. GED preparation classes and ESL classes for parents and community members are currently provided at Sam Houston. Special education support staff is available at this center to assist parents with student needs.
San Angelo ISD has a very active VIPS program (Volunteers in Public Schools). The majority of volunteers are parents of students at the campus they volunteer. Parents are encouraged to get involved in volunteering any time of the school day. Also, every school in SAISD has an active PTA (Parent Teacher Association). This provides a positive avenue for parents to get involved in the school setting and assisting students.
Red Ribbon week is celebrated in San Angelo at all school campuses. The PRIDE organizations and student council groups take the lead in selecting activities appropriate for their campuses. Schools plan activities for everyday of the week and promote safe and drug free schools. Wednesday of that week is red day and all students and employees across the district wear read and a special wristband in support of being drug free.
Special assemblies are scheduled throughout the school year. A special PRIDE rally is held each year in April with all the elementary PRIDE students attending. This rally provides an opportunity for approximately 1500 students to join together in celebration of choosing to be drug free.
SAISD supports the DARE program which is a joint effort between the San Angelo Police Department and SAISD. All twenty elementary schools participated in the DARE program presented by a San Angelo police officer. DARE is provided for all 5th grade students. First semester DARE graduations will be taking place during the month of December for half of the elementary schools in the district.
The school district provides all secondary schools with a police officer to assist with campuses with any discipline issue. Police officers have the opportunity to build rapport with students and believe this opportunity provides for positive interaction with students. Carver Learning Center (Alternative Program) currently uses metal detectors as part of the every day routine for admission to school. Police officers and teachers assist with this process.
Drug Free and Weapon Free School Zones are set up around the all secondary schools. These signs send out a clear message to all students and parents that drugs and weapons are not tolerated on the campuses.
During the 1999-2000 school, SAISD implemented a comprehensive crisis plan for the district. During the 1999-2000 and the 2000-2001 school year each campus has constructed their own version of the crisis plan to meet their unique needs using the district plan as a guide. Campus safety plans were constructed during the 2000-2001 school year and the fine-tuning of those plans continue. This plan has provided a positive vehicle to evaluate safety issues on the campus and set a plan in action to resolve any problems they may have discovered through this process.
San Angelo I.S.D. Crisis Teams
Campus
/Incident
Crockett / Loss of a staff memberLincoln / Loss of a parent
Blackshear / Loss of a student
The district uses funds from the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act to adopt and carry out a comprehensive drug and violence prevention program for all students and employees in the district. SAISD supports the DAVE (Drug Abuse and Violence Education) program and encourages the use of this curriculum as a tool to infuse drug and violence prevention into the everyday curriculum of language arts, math, science, social studies, etc. In the spring of 2001, junior high school counselors attended a No Bullying training at Region 15. This staff development provided the counselors with the Johnson Institute No Bullying Program and The Bully Free Classroom materials. In the spring of 1999, the No Bullying Program was implemented at the elementary schools and this program will assist in aligning the curriculum with the elementary and junior highs on this issue. Project Alert Curriculum and Training took place in the spring of 2001 and this material will be used to provide drug prevention education at the junior high school campuses. Project Alert Curriculum has been listed on the U.S. Department of Educations list of promising programs. PALS (Peer Assisted Leadership Skills) curriculum is currently used to support the leadership training and assisting students in their efforts to assist with maintaining safe and drug free schools. The Teen Leadership program was implemented through the Texas After School Middle School grant to provide a character education program for those students involved in an after school program. Additional curriculum and instruction activities used on the campuses are:
- DUSO Drug Free
- Escape From Pirate Island
- Tator Tales
- Human Race Club
- Stranger Danger
- Pro Social Skills
- Big Comfy Couch
- DARE
- Lollipop Dragon
- Health Units on Drugs, Tobacco, Safety and Inhalant Abuse
- Stress Management
- High School Health classrooms curriculum that supports drug and violence education and prevention
Staff Development Training Sessions
Name of Training / Date / Location / # InvolvedConflict Resolution/ Peer Mediation / August 23, 2001 / Fannin / 45
Conflict Resolution/ Peer Mediation / September 20, 2001 / Day / 40
PRIDE Training / September 11, 2001 / Sam Houston / 3
PRIDE Training / September 12, 2001 / Sam Houston / 4
PRIDE Training / September 18, 2001 / Sam Houston / 7
PRIDE Training / September 19, 2001 / Sam Houston / 13
PALs Curriculum Sponsor Training / October 2001 / Austin, Texas / 4
DAVE Training / October 8, 2001 / Carver / 20
Drug Prevention / October 8, 2001 / LVHS / 120
Conflict Resolution / October 8, 2001 / LVHS / 120
Texas School Survey Presentation for SAISD District Safety Committee / October 2001 / Admin. Building / 35
S.A.G.E.S. / October 8, 2001 / Admin. Building / 34 Counselors
Coordination with other programs and funding sources
San Angelo ISD promotes the involvement of parents and community groups and agencies in the distribution of information about school district’s needs, goals, and programs for Title IV, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities. SAISD currently has an active SDFSC advisory council. The local advisory council reviews all program applications, evaluations, programs and curriculum. They provide valuable input into the application process and evaluation as well as provides valuable insights into the issues of our community.
The coordination of funds among programs is allowable and recommended. Funds utilized district wide are Title programs and State Compensatory programs. All students in bilingual education, gifted and talented education, special education, migrant and career and technology education programs will be provided the opportunity to be involved in safe and drug free programs throughout the school year.
SAISD currently provides a classroom teacher at the Juvenile Justice Center for students who have been placed in detention. This teacher assists the students in maintaining his/her class work. This assists the student with the transition back to school and staying on track academically.
The San Angelo Fire Department each year coordinates with the schools during fire prevention week to provide opportunities for fire trucks and firemen a chance to teach and demonstrate fire safety and prevention on the campuses. They also conduct a district wide fire prevention poster contest during that week.
SAISD currently provides funds to pay for a classroom teacher at Rivercrest Hospital. Rivercrest Hospital currently treats patients with emotional and behavioral problems, chemical dependency, eating disorders, codependency, compulsive behavior and addictive disorder for adults, adolescents and children. School counselors and teachers assist the Rivercrest teacher with classroom assignments and provides the student the opportunity to maintain his/her education status while in the hospital. This provides for few gaps in learning while being treated in the hospital. Rivercrest hospital also cosponsors guest speakers and special assembly presentations provided on the school campuses.