Students in Rockdale County Public Schools will soon see a flurry of new initiatives designed to keep them safe as part of the federally funded STARS community partnership program, which kicked off Wednesday.

The broad-ranging project has five main goal areas, said Project Director Susan Paul Smith: preventing violence in the school and community, addressing substance abuse and promoting healthy lifestyle choices, protecting against bullies, providing school-based mental health services, and preparing young learners for school.

The four-year $4.5 million Safe Schools Healthy Students federal grant was awarded in 2009 in partnership with the RCPS, Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, Conyers Police Department, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Newton Community Service Board, Department of Juvenile Justice, the Barksdale Boys and Girls Club.

These partnerships are key, said Smith. “This is not just a school system grant. This is a community grant. No one entity can do it on its own,” she said.

“Rockdale County has been very forward thinking and has had a great support services function,” said Smith. “In many ways, this gives us a way to jump start an additional programs, and some new and different things.”

Examples of some of the new things the school system will implement include providing mental health services within school buildings; RCPS is in discussions to contract with a provider, said Smith. The system is also piloting an anonymous communication line, starting in January at Conyers Middle School, Rockdale County High School, and the Alpha Academy, where students can text message or email if they feel threatened or uncomfortable. Another initiative is called the Owleus Bullying program, for elementary and middle schools, that Smith described as a staff and student driven program involving a culture change within the school.

Over the summer, the Barksdale Boys and Girls Club also hosted School Resource Officers to interact with teens and hold workshops on laws affecting teens. “Just their presence alone painted a different face on law enforcement and the relationships they have with teens,” said Barksdale B&GC Director Erly Saldano...

See the Dec. 4 edition of The Rockdale News for the full story