LCS to Consider Agreement with FAMU, LCSO to Address “At-Risk High School Students”

On Tuesday, December 12th, the Leon County School Board (Board) will consider a recommendation from Superintendent Hanna to approve an agreement to address at-risk high school students.

The Superintendent is recommending that the Board approve a 2023-2026 agreement between the School Board of Leon County, Florida, the Leon County Sherriff’s Office, and the Florida A&M Board of Trustees for its Center for Ethnic Psychology Research and Application (CEPRA).

Responsibilities of the partners per the agreement are provided below.

The purpose of the agreement is to establish a collaborative partnership between the Board and community partners to serve selected at-risk high school students meeting suspension criteria identified by Amos P. Godby High School, Leon High School, James S. Rickards High School, and the partners.

The language in the agreement indicates the program was initiated based on the findings of the LCSO report, The Anatomy of a Homicide Project (the Study).

The agreement notes that the Study found “that the majority of Leon County homicide offenders surveyed reported having been suspended or expelled from school..”

The program’s annual cost is provided as $263,000 and will be funded by LCSO.

Students participating in this voluntary program will receive prevention and intervention programming, based on their individualized needs to address negative and non-productive behaviors. The Board will assist with program coordination and identifying students who would be eligible for and benefit from the services.

Initially, this program will be available for Amos P. Godby High School, Leon High School, and James S. Rickards High School students who are suspended for three to five days.

The agenda item notes that “It is the goal of the program that each student would benefit from attending a safe, supervised environment in which individualized learning approaches might be delivered and acceptable social conduct modeled by culturally appropriate authority figures, educators, and role models. Further, students attending and successfully completing this program should decrease the suspension and expulsion recommendations for each identified high school.”

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DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF FAMU CEPRA

– FAMU CEPRA will operate the LCS Post-Suspension/Expulsion Support Services Program (hereinafter “Program”) from 8:00 a.m. until 1:20 p.m. with staffed hours of 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday each day LCS schools are open and providing mental health and self-management instructional services during its regular school year while providing all facilities and utilities necessary to establish and maintain the Program.

-FAMU CEPRA will provide program services for up to 20 simultaneous participants and a maximum of 720 LCS student participants per school year.

-FAMU CEPRA will provide individual mental health and academic screenings for each program participant, as appropriate.

-FAMU CEPRA will provide educational and personal developmental support, guidance, and instruction based on the identified needs of students participating in the Program.

-FAMU CEPRA will recruit, hire, train, employ, provide, and manage student interns and coaches and faculty content experts sufficient for full staffing and operation of all Program activities at all times.

-FAMU CEPRA will provide a modified, onsite offering of the Program to LCS Second Chance students beginning with the 2023 – 24 school year and continuing each school year thereafter.

-FAMU CEPRA will coordinate and deliver parental briefings at the initiation and conclusion of each student’s participation in the Program and include LCS and SHERIFF in the information shared in parental briefings in the initiation and conclusion of each student’s participation in the Program.

-FAMU CERPA will use SHERIFF case management portal to place all closeout files on students after completing the Program.

– FAMU CEPRA will submit detailed invoices to LCSO within thirty (30) business days of the service having been provided.

DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF LCS

-LCS will provide referrals to the Program.

-LCS will provide meals for all LCS students referred to the Program during their periods of participation in the Program.

-LCS will provide transportation (as needed) for all LCS students referred to and from the FAMU CEPRA Program during their periods of participation in the Program if needed.

DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE SHERIFF

-SHERIFF will coordinate facility security for the Program if needed.

– SHERIFF will provide trained and screened navigators from the Tallahassee-Leon County Council on the Status of Men and Boys to provide limited supervision of students participating in the Program.

– SHERIFF will provide trained and screened mentors to participate regularly in the Program and will coordinate collaboration with community leaders and organizations to provide support services in terms of encouragement and positivity to create a community wrap around.

-SHERIFF shall pay FAMU CEPRA in nine equal monthly installments of $29,222.22.