here - Parkland School District

Anti-Gang Initiative
Preventative Action
How do we save children from the
influence of gangs and hate groups while
making it economically sustainable?
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Pool together resources and areas of expertise.
Know ledge is key; it gives a more promising future
and saves school districts and taxpayers hundreds of
millions of dollars.
See our at-risk students as a resource to invest in,
rather than as a drain on the system.
Take proactive steps to keep our children engaged in
learning and out of the criminal justice system.
Mission of the Youth Crime
and Violence Task Force
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Established in summer of 1996.
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The Task Force supports the development and
coordination of strategies that address issues of
youth crime and violence by facilitating
communication and collaboration w ithin Lehigh
County.
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Participants include Police, Judges, Education,
Community representatives, Public Defender, District
Attorney, Human Services, etc.
Initiatives under Task Force
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Operation Night Light
Information Sharing Legislation
Serious Habitual Offender Program
Gang Aw areness Conferences
Anti-Truancy Initiatives
Mentoring Conferences
Route 222 Anti- Gang Initiative
Gang Prevention Efforts
Next steps: Stronger attention on Gang Intervention
w ith focus on employment and vocational skills.
THE 222 CORRIDOR Gang
Prevention Task Force 2007
Assessment of Gang Problem
Lehigh University
Dr. Tina Richardson
The purpose of the assessment w as to
gather and summarize quantitative and
qualitative data regarding the prevalence of
gangs and their effects on public safety and
quality of life in the city
Gangs and Hate Groups along
The 222 CORRIDOR
Gangs
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Bloods
Crips
Trinitarios
Latin Kings
Netas
Fellaset
MS 13
BBD
Gordon St Boys
Goonies
Cash Money Boys
Acres Production2
ND12th St
Cumberland Street
Los Solidos
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Hate Groups
Keystone State Skinheads
- Racist Skinhead
National Socialist Movement
- Neo-Nazi
The Creativity Alliance
- Neo-Nazi
The Israelite Church of God in
Jesus Christ
- Black Separatist
Programming Funded- 222
Approximately $200,000
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Over 25 Community Based programs w ere funded for
nearly 2 years under this Initiative.
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Funding ended in summer of 2009.
NOW WHAT?
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Lehigh County Gang Prevention and Intervention
committee.
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Build community supports to combat gang activity.
Goals to Reduce Gang
Involvement
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Increase academic performance
Increase school attendance
Promote involvement in pro social activities
Develop aw areness of the reality of the gang life style
Increase utilization of youth serving organizations
Improve youth’ s behavior in the community
Recruit assistance and involvement from the
community
Reduce Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System
Improve family involvement and relationship
According to the Gates Foundation
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Each year the economy loses
$33 Billion due to drop outs.
6 th
If a
grade student fails
English, Math or any other
tw o courses, they have a
significant risk of not
graduating.
If w e increase the male
graduation rate by 5% there
w ill be an estimated $4.9
billion in crime related
savings.
% of dropouts gone in
9th grade
35%
% of dropouts gone in
10 th grade
27%
% of dropouts gone in
11 th grade
19%
% of dropouts gone in
12 th grade
19%
US graduation rate
70%
PA graduation rate
77.6%
Students of color
graduated in 4 years
50%
Drop out data 2008-2009 for grades 7-12 from PDE Report
County School Districts
School
Population
No. of
Drop
Outs
% of Total
Population
Lehigh
24,239
580
2.40%
Northampton
22,422
287
1.30%
Carbon
4,633
52
1.10%
Berks
33,075
726
2.20%
Bucks
44,866
260
0.60%
1,905
7.6%
Total
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129,235
Approximately 50% of youth drop out for unknow n reasons
according to PDE for 2008-2009.
According to PSEA the average state tuition reimbursement is
betw een $2000-$6000 per school district.
If 25% drop out because of gang/delinquent behavior the lost
revenue for the 5 school districts w ould amount to
$2,856,000
Keeping ONE High Risk Youth in School and
Crime/Drug FREE can Save Taxpayers
$1.9-$2.3 Million Dollars
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According to the publication, New Evidence on the Monetary
Value of Saving a High Risk Youth (December 2007) Vanderbilt
Law and Economics Research Paper No 08-07, 1.9 to 2.3 million
taxpayer money is saved by keeping ONE high risk youth in
school and crime/drug free.
$1,900,000 x 476 = $904,400,000 in taxpayer savings
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The National Gang Center estimates that 32.4 percent of all
cities, suburban areas, tow ns, and rural counties (more than
3,330 jurisdictions served by city and county law enforcement
agencies) experiences gang problems in 2008. This is a 15%
increase since 2002.
Alternative School Placement
Out of district Alternative School Placement is
an option used by many districts alike, how ever
the expense associated w ith such programs
can be costly for the home district.
Average Alternative Placement Cost
25% of total Dropout’s
118
Program cost
$105/day
No. of School Days
181
Cost per School Year
$2,242,590
Misc Cost (Transportation)
$10,000/ school yr
Per day rate is based on average cost of four alternative placement programs in the Lehigh Valley
A Tale of Two Boys
Above Average
Student Actively
Involved In
Programs
Average Student
Not Involved in
Programs
Elementary
School
Middle
School
High School
Total Lost
Revenue
$6,000/ 5 yrs
$30,000
$6,000/3 yrs
$18,000
$6,000/4 yrs
$24,000
($72,000)
$0
$6,000/ 5 yrs
$30,000
$6,000/ 1 yr
$6,000
Alternative
Placement/1 yr
$19,005
(69,015)
Alternative
Placement /2 yrs
$38,005
$6,000/ 1 yr
$6,000
Dropped Out in
11 th Grade
$12,005
Anti-Gang Initiative
Mission Statement
Create a procedural framew ork for school
districts in the fight against gangs.
This information is based on the OJJDP' s
Comprehensive Gang Model, and designed
to apply to all types of schools.
Improve the communication and
involvement between school districts, law
enforcement, and community agencies
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Schedule meetings betw een probation, SRO’ s, community agencies,
and schools.
Create a formal process for referring students to law enforcement and
community agencies.
Appoint a school district point person for information sharing.
(Director of Security, SRO’ s, School Administrators)
Establish a formal process to report and catalogue all gang suspected
activity. (pictures, student lists, anonymous tips)
Use SRO’ s and community officers (CO’ s) to talk w ith students in
classrooms.
Encourage school boards to adopt policies that help improve
communication.
Establish or participate in a focused community task force involving all
stakeholders. (Included churches and local businesses)
Create an easy to use system for
school districts to share information
& resources
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School point people w ill have access to our w iki space and other
recommended sites.
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An active and updated list of school point people should be
distributed across counties.
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Establish a set meeting schedule for point people, SRO’ s and
CO’ s across school districts and municipalities.
School districts must closely examine how they can share gang
programs, staff and resources w ith other districts. (speakers,
materials, joint grants, & information)
Use meaningful and coordinated
professional development on gangs and
hate groups to enhance awareness among
schools and the community
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Set a budget for professional development on gangs and commit
to specific programming annually.
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Include community members and service providers in
professional development to share information and decrease
cost.
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Professional development should go beyond “ Gang 101 –
Identification” . It should encourage community activism, student
mentorship, and school involvement .
Professional development should include the OJJDP’ s
Comprehensive Gang Model and a Gang Risk Survey
Create and support school district
policies that address gangs and
hate groups.
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Define the term “ gang/hate group” in school district policy and
create a detailed procedure for addressing the issue.
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Establish a system of communication for policy change and
recommendation from building level staff to central
administration.
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Use a community task force and existing agencies/programs to
obtain data to support policy enforcement or change.
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Encourage school board members and school administrators to
analyze district policies or practices that discourage community
agencies from assisting.
Provide, identify and publicize positive
prevention and intervention programs for
school age children
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Utilize effective prevention programs. (GRIPE, GREAT)
Create and support active afterschool and summer programs to keep
children engaged. (Boys & Girls Clubs, 21 st Century Community Service
Centers, Kids of Character, Pre-Apprentice Program)
Recognize and rew ard students involved in these programs to maximize
use.
Promote positive behavior, character development, independent living
skills, and employment skills.
Utilize speakers w ho have “ turned their life around” and hold follow up
meetings to discuss issues.
Provide intensive mentorship and leadership development programs
(Multicultural Student Leadership Conference)
Hold family programming (family fun night, movies, carnivals)
Maintain an active list of community services and points of contact.
Create a referral based system for community services to assist
families.
Establish a College, Career and
Opportunity Center in your high school
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Utilize databases to research college and career options
(careercruising.com).
Post and publicize college scholarships, grants, and loan
programs.
Hire a coordinator or use guidance staff for personnel.
Attend college/career fairs in the area.
Schedule college admissions staff, community professionals, and
military recruiters to talk w ith students.
Coordinate internship and job shadow experiences w ith local
employers.
Post local job opportunities for students in the center
collaborative and cost-effective
Plan
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Action Phase
Establish a meeting schedule w ith point people
Improve gang/hate group related communication
w ithin and betw een school districts
Improve collaboration w ith law enforcement and the
community
Examine systems to share information: w iki space,
w ebsites, speakers, programs, etc.
Examine professional development w ithin school
districts
Identify and publicize positive prevention and
intervention programs for implementation to reduce
dropouts and gang activity
“Networks of Care Resource Directory”
Lehigh County Network of Care:
http://lehigh.pa.netw orkofcare.org/mh/home/index.cfm
Direct to Network of Care resource directory:
http://lehigh.pa.netw orkofcare.org/mh/resource/find.cfm
Community Services for Children: Community Resource Book
http://www.cscinc.org/docs/community_resource_booklet_2009-2010.pdf
Valley Wide Help – Online resource database
http://www.irissoft.com/vwhp/
Valley Wide Help printed resource directory can be purchased at the
“ American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley”
Anti-Gang Initiative Subcommittee
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Harrison Bailey III
Assistant Principal
Parkland High School
[email protected]
610-351-5600
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Lorenzo Canizares
PSEA Organizing Specialist
[email protected]
800-622-2270 or 717-761-8009
610-308-0783 (cell)
Andrew DeAngelo
Community Justice Planner
[email protected]
484-226-4609
Kevin Deely
President, Easton Area Education
Association
[email protected]
610-258-8862
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Robert H. Creveling
PSEA Eastern Region Field Director
[email protected]
800-322-9032 or 610-391-0835
(7/1)
Vivian Robledo-Shorey
Supervisor of Minority Affairs &
Acting Director of Student Services
Bethlehem Area School District
[email protected]
610-861-0500
Jose Rosado
Allentown School District
Director of Community & Student
Services
[email protected]
484-765-4000
Maureen Foster
PSEA Associate
[email protected]
800-322-9032 or 610-391-0835