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The services range from
the primary prevention
services outside of the
school setting of the
home and community to
the initial school
prevention and
intervention program of
classroom management by
teachers to the maximum
intervention services of
court ordered compliance
by local judges. Between
this continuum of
services the school
system through the Title
IV program will offer
conflict resolution
training through peer
mediation and
Peacemakers program by
our Safe and Drug Free
Schools and Community
resource teacher.
Through a special
arrangement with the
Tangipahoa Parish
Sheriff, drug detection
dogs randomly visit each
junior high and high
school to search for
drugs. A partnership
with North Oaks Medical
Center enables the
school system to
randomly test athletes
and all students whose
car, property, or locker
cause the drug detection
dogs to alert. In
addition, any student
will be tested once at
the request of his/her
parent. The cost is only
$15 per test to the
school system per test.
The Tangipahoa Parish
Sheriff's Department
will provide the D.A.R.E.
program to our 5th
graders and a national
pilot group of seventh
and eighth graders at
Ponchatoula Junior High
and 9th and 10th grade
students and Ponchatoula
High School. The City
Court of Hammond will
offer the Visions in
Prevention (V.I.P.)
Program to all 3rd
graders in Hammond and
Ponchatoula. A
partnership with
Southeastern Louisiana
University will provide
counselor practicum and
intern students for
middle and junior high
schools that have the
greatest need for their
services based on
information obtained
from the Student
Information Services
(SIS) data. These
students will assist
with the implementation
of the No Bullying
Program developed by the
Johnson Institute -
Hazelden Corporation.
Title IV funds will be
used to hire a licensed
professional counselor (LPC)
who is also a national
certified addictions
counselor (NCAC), to
supervise the
Southeastern counseling
students and serve as
the primary point of
contact for
administrators, teachers
and parents that request
assistance for students,
especially during and
after a crisis. This
individual will also
oversee the training and
supervision of the Life
Skills Training Program
in grades 6-8.
Truancy Court is held
every Thursday in Amite
for schools in the 21st
Judicial District Court
located outside of the
City Court of Hammond
jurisdiction and every
Friday in Hammond and
Ponchatoula for students
residing in the City
Court of Hammond
jurisdiction. The Safe
and Drug Free Schools
and Communities Resource
Teacher coordinates
Truancy Court in Hammond
and the Title IV program
coordinator, a general
fund employee,
coordinates the truancy
court in Ponchatoula.
Two Pupil Services
Coordinators, who are
also general fund
employees, coordinate
Truancy Court for the
21st Judicial District
Court. The Hammond City
Court Marshall's staff
and the Tangipahoa
Parish sheriff's
deputies deliver
summons. Parents and
students are referred to
the Families In Need of
Services (FINS) program
if a student is absent
after attending truancy
court or meets any of
the other six program
criteria. Students who
have unexcused absences
due to suspensions are
also referred to Truancy
Court. Students in
grades K-6 in Tangipahoa
Parish who have
excessive absences may
also be referred to the
Truancy Assessment
Service Centers (TASC),
an intervention program
in both the 21st
Judicial District and
the City Court of
Hammond.
In school suspension
programs (ISSP) are
currently provided in
all high schools through
the general fund. All
middle schools and
junior high schools
receiving Title I funds
offer an In School
Suspension Program.
Title IV funds are used
to provide an In School
Suspension Program for
Ponchatoula Junior High,
the only junior high
school that does not
receive Title I funds.
Five years ago the
Tangipahoa Parish School
Board passed a Zero
Tolerance for Fighting
Policy. Students in
grades 7-12 who choose
to fight during the
school day or at
extracurricular
activities are arrested
and charged with
disturbing the peace by
our School Resource
Officers. Students must
attend two days of
conflict resolution
training and, in
addition, are suspended
for three days out of
school. A fine of $50
must be paid the first
time a student fights
and $100 after the
second fight. Failure to
attend the conflict
resolution classes and
pay the fine will cause
the student to be
referred to the court
system. Students in
grades 5 and 6 who
choose to fight must
attend two days of
conflict resolution
training before they can
return to school. At the
present time they are
not arrested and fined.
Every high school and
junior high school in
the parish has access to
the school resource
officers. Title IV funds
in the amount of $21,000
are used to assist the
sheriff in the
implementation of this
program. The sheriff has
obtained a grant from
the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency
Prevention (OJJDP) grant
of $100,000 that helps
defray the cost of the
school resource
officers.
In summary, the various
governmental agencies
have adopted a T.E.A.M.
(Together Everyone
Accomplishes More)
philosophy. By planning
and working together,
sharing facilities and
coordinating funding to
maximize the delivery of
services, a
comprehensive prevention
- intervention program
is available to the
students we teach and
the communities we
serve. Our success story
is shared throughout the
year with the various
governmental agencies
with which we coordinate
the programs described
above. In addition,
periodic reports are
provided to the
superintendent, school
board and public. The
school system also
shares our success story
through programs that
can be seen on local
television channels. |
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