Friday, May 3, 2024
5/3/2024
The Board of Education of the City of Chicago, District 299, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) proposes to expand its current trauma-informed mental health services to include those which focus on substance use prevention and intervention. The population of focus is the district’s school communities, including students and their families and caregivers, staff, and educators. The year one geographic catchment areas are High School Networks 14 and 16. However, youth and their families regardless of enrollment in CPS or residence in these networks or of high school age, will have access to developmentally and culturally appropriate trauma-informed mental health services for substance use. We plan to expand the project to networks 15 and 17 by the project’s end in 2026. These networks encompass communities of color, of which, most are historically disinvested. Research shows that over 80% of high-school youth in Chicago have been exposed to violence in their lifetime and that this violence is concentrated in communities with high rates of disinvestment (Gorman-Smith et al., 2014). Data from Chicago’s 2019 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) demonstrates students experience high rates of emotional distress (35%) and suicide attempts (10%). The YRBS data also reflects an increase in the number of high school students who report feeling sad and hopeless (28% in 2005, 38% in 2019). Student substance use is rising in tandem with the rise in students feeling sad and hopeless. Instances of substance use infractions increased by 59% in SY19. According to the YRBS, 26% of surveyed students report currently drinking alcohol, and 23% of students report currently using marijuana. Possessing or using substances in school is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct (SCC 4-14) and 2,011 infractions were recorded across the district in SY20. The project is organized across five activity areas to provide effective prevention education and responsive screening and interventions to impact youth substance use behaviors in Chicago Public Schools across a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). 1. Prevention/Education (Tier 1) 2. Responding to Substance Use Behaviors: Engaging Students & Families (Tiers 2-3) 3. Responding to Substance Use Behaviors: Substance Use Resources & Interventions (Tiers 2-3) 4. School-Based Substance Use Intervention Supports (Tiers 2-3) 5. Community-Based Substance Use Intervention Supports (Tiers 2-3) Proposed number individuals served: STUDENTS: YEAR 1: 150 YEAR 2: 500 YEAR 3: 7,400 YEAR 4: 10,500 EDUCATORS/STAFF/ADMINISTRATORS: Y1: 350 Y2: 400 Y3: 450 Y4: 500 PARENTS/CAREGIVERS: Y1: 100 Y2: 200 Y3: 300 Y4: 400
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
