It Takes A Village: Collaboration Between School Initiatives and Community for Student Safety and Empowerment.

First Presenter's Institution

School District of Palm Beach County

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Ruthe Francis, Manager, 23 years in education, former guidance counselor and school-level administrator. Currently with the Department of Safe Schools and has managed numerous initiatives, including PBIS, Safe Schools Ambassadors, and Behavioral Threat Assessments.

Second Presenter's Institution

School District of Palm Beach County

Second Presenter’s Email Address

jetawn.shannon@palmbeachschools.org

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. JeTawn Shannon, Manager, 24 years in education, former English teacher, Instructional Support Team Leader, and Educational Data Warehouse Specialist. Currently with the Department of Safe Schools where she oversees extensive State and Federal Grants with the Department of Justice, Department of Education, and Department of Health.

Third Presenter's Institution

School District of Palm Beach County

Third Presenter’s Email Address

diane.wyatt@palmbeachschools.org

Third Presenter's Brief Biography

Diane Wyatt, Director, 34 years in education serving in both South Carolina and Florida. Mrs. Wyatt has served as a teacher in elementary and secondary schools as well as a School-based Administrator. Her District Administrative roles have been within Professional Development, Human Resources, and Alternative Education and she is currently the Director of Safe Schools.

Document Type

Event

Primary Strand

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support

Relevance to Primary Strand

The integration of student led initiatives, such as Safe Schools Ambassador programs, as well as collaborations with the State Attorney’s Office to provide community engagement activities for students, parents and community stakeholders, provides the opportunity for everyone involved to be empowered to take an active role in working together to ensure that all students have a safe, nurturing learning environment and to develop a safer, healthier community.

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

Family and Community Engagement

Brief Program Description

Participants will gain insight into developing a multidimensional approach to student and community empowerment by integrating school-based and community partnerships to create a unified approach to student growth and development.

Summary

Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Practices:

  • Providing an exemplary framework and implementing PBIS practices at the district level

  • Showcase best practices on implementing a single school culture

  • Provide classroom management support that includes a crosswalk that supports student code of conduct, inside the classroom, as well as in common spaces throughout the school campus.

Teen Youth Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA):

Teaches high school students to provide Mental Health First aid to their friends

  • Course was developed in response to research indicating that young people have a preference for sharing challenges with peers

  • The course focuses on the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that show there might be a challenge rather than focusing on specific illnesses

  • Students are taught to seek help from a responsible and trusted adult

Safe School Ambassador (SSA):

  • The Safe School Ambassadors® Program (SSA) is our evidence-based program that harnesses the power of students to prevent and stop bullying and mistreatment.

  • The SSA Program is a student-centered model that educates diverse social leaders with the skills to prevent and reduce bullying.

  • The Safe School Ambassadors® Program relies on the “inside-out” approach to improving school climate.

  • The Safe School Ambassadors® Program harnesses the power of the socially influential leaders of a school’s diverse cliques; the ones who shape the social norms that govern other students’ behavior.

Campus Safety (bullying, Title IX, drugs, social media, Behavioral Threat Assessment):

  • District-wide bullying awareness campaign

  • Anonymous reporting system for bullying and Title IX

  • Collaborations with State Attorney, Law Enforcement to provide student and community awareness presentations on illegal substances, school safety and social media use.

  • Collaboration with Law Enforcement to train school personnel on threat assessment processes

Evidence

The implementation and integration of research based practices such as Positive Behavior (PBIS) Support, Safe Schools Ambassadors (SSA) and teen Youth Mental Health First Aid (tYMHFA), coupled with community collaborations with the State Attorney’s Office to empower students, parents and community stakeholders to actively participate in creating a safe and nurturing environment has proven to be effective for students and families. Data from the District’s School Effectiveness Questionnaire shows that students and parents strongly agree that students are connected to caring adults and are empowered to express their thoughts and concerns freely. Students are encouraged to take an active role in creating a safe learning environment.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will learn how allowing students to take charge of their activities and learning, builds stronger communities.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to implement strategies that will encourage students, parents and community stakeholders to take the initiative in creating and actively participating in student development and learning.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to utilize current resources to implement student led initiatives and strengthen community engagement.

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
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It Takes A Village: Collaboration Between School Initiatives and Community for Student Safety and Empowerment.

Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Practices:

  • Providing an exemplary framework and implementing PBIS practices at the district level

  • Showcase best practices on implementing a single school culture

  • Provide classroom management support that includes a crosswalk that supports student code of conduct, inside the classroom, as well as in common spaces throughout the school campus.

Teen Youth Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA):

Teaches high school students to provide Mental Health First aid to their friends

  • Course was developed in response to research indicating that young people have a preference for sharing challenges with peers

  • The course focuses on the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that show there might be a challenge rather than focusing on specific illnesses

  • Students are taught to seek help from a responsible and trusted adult

Safe School Ambassador (SSA):

  • The Safe School Ambassadors® Program (SSA) is our evidence-based program that harnesses the power of students to prevent and stop bullying and mistreatment.

  • The SSA Program is a student-centered model that educates diverse social leaders with the skills to prevent and reduce bullying.

  • The Safe School Ambassadors® Program relies on the “inside-out” approach to improving school climate.

  • The Safe School Ambassadors® Program harnesses the power of the socially influential leaders of a school’s diverse cliques; the ones who shape the social norms that govern other students’ behavior.

Campus Safety (bullying, Title IX, drugs, social media, Behavioral Threat Assessment):

  • District-wide bullying awareness campaign

  • Anonymous reporting system for bullying and Title IX

  • Collaborations with State Attorney, Law Enforcement to provide student and community awareness presentations on illegal substances, school safety and social media use.

  • Collaboration with Law Enforcement to train school personnel on threat assessment processes