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Safe & Drug Free Schools and Communities PDF Print E-mail

The Northwest Georgia RESA staff for Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities consists of a full-time consultant, Mary Czentnar, a secretary, Catherine Smart, and one program coordinator, Brenda Stansell. Thirteen school systems make up the SDFSC Consortium of Northwest Georgia RESA and include the following systems: Bartow, Calhoun, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, and Polk, County Schools, and Bremen, Cartersville, Chickamauga, Rome, and Trion City Schools.

 

Secretary This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Federal Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools

 

Goals and Objectives

  1. Assist in maintaining a school environment that is free of drugs and violence
  2. Promote a class atmosphere that allows teachers to teach and students to learn
  3. Develop and offer experiences that involve students in applying the concepts of making healthy decisions, accepting responsibility for their behavior, and understanding consequences.

Program Implementation and Evaluation

The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program is the Federal government's primary vehicle for reducing drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and violence, through education and prevention activities in our nation's schools. All programs and activities must meet the guidelines for the principles of effectiveness, a systematic application of research and practical knowledge to solve real-world needs.

 

Curriculum/Video Check-Out

The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program of Northwest Georgia provides curricula and videos for checkout by participating systems. These resources serve as excellent tools for drug prevention and intervention. The guide is arranged topically. It can be accessed by clicking here.

 

Needs Assessment

In order to provide the best drug and violence prevention activities for our schools and students, The Georgia Department of Education has developed a statewide "Needs Assessment," which is administered during the month of October of each year. The questionnaires are for students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 and are completely anonymous. The data collected will be used to identify critical area of needs for Safe and Drug-Free Schools efforts.

Upcoming Trainings and Workshops

Courses.
Resources/Workshops for Parents and the Community (updated 12/3/2008)

Principles of Effectiveness

The Department of Education has announced that the following Principles of Effectiveness will govern recipients' use of fiscal year 1998 and future years' funds received under Title IV - State and local programs of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) State Grants Program. The Principles of Effectiveness take effect on July 1, 1998.

 

Principle 1:
Conducting Needs Assessments

A grant recipient shall base its program on a thorough assessment of objective data about the drug and violence problems in the schools and communities served.

Principle 2:
Setting Measurable Goals and Objectives

A grant recipient shall, with assistance of a local or regional advisory council, which includes community representatives, establish a set of measurable goals and objectives, and design its activities to meet those goals and objectives.

Principle 3:
Effective Research-Based Programs

A grant recipient shall design and implement its activities based on research or evaluation that provides evidence that the strategies used to prevent or reduce drug use violence, or disruptive behavior.

Principle 4:
Program Evaluation

A grant recipient shall evaluate its program periodically to assess its progress toward achieving its goals and objectives and use its evaluation results to refine, improve, and strengthen its program and to refine its goals and objectives as appropriate.