The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention provides technical assistance and training to 83 school districts and communities that receive grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
New 2007 SS/HS Grantees Named
We are pleased to announce the following 27 new SS/HS grantees for the 2007 fiscal year:
Montgomery, AL La Mesa, CA Lennox, CA Carpinteria, CA San Francisco, CA Lemoore, CA Paradise, CA Westminster, CO Ft. Lauderdale, FL
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Kissimmee, FL Eastman, GA East St. Louis, IL Chicago, IL Albany, KY Sanford, ME Roseville, MN Waynesboro, MS Farmington, NM
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Schenectady, NY Mission, SD New Braunfels, TX Austin, TX Hidalgo, TX Lyndonville, VT Vancouver, WA Milwaukee, WI Casper, WY
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New grantees can find out their technical assistant (TA) contacts at http://www.promoteprevent.org/toolkit/TAScontact/.
Creating Safer School Environments
Recent media reports of school violence underscore the importance of having a solid school safety plan in place. We must provide a caring and nurturing climate for all students, structures to build social and emotional learning, and positive supports, screenings and interventions for students in need. The position statement of the National Consortium of School Violence Prevention Researchers and Practitioners (www.ncsvprp.org) describes four key elements of an effective approach to creating safer schools: balance, communication, connectedness, and support. They recommend that schools
- Use a balanced approach to safety and appropriately allocate resources
- Build trust within the school and with the larger community to encourage open communication
- Create a connected social unit and reach out to marginalized students
- Create support systems within the school community to address students’ mental health needs and incidents of bullying and intimidation; and garner support from local law enforcement, mental health agencies, and politicians for assistance.
Our resource page Preparing and Responding to Crises in Schools also provides information on this important topic.
