Strategic Prevention for Justice-Engaged Colorado Students - Generation Schools Network (GSN) will support the Justice Engaged Students Colorado (JES-CO) initiative and development of the Justice-Engaged Bill of Rights (JESBOR) to reduce substance use and increase educational opportunities for justice-engaged students. JES-CO is GSN’s statewide initiative focused on improving behavioral health and educational outcomes for justice-engaged and adjudicated (JEA) young people as well as those at risk of justice involvement. JESBOR will provide guidance for school districts, students, families and community members when supporting working with adjudicated students. GSN’s initial research and needs assessment found that justice involvement causes disruptions in a student’s educational life and lack of support, leading to disconnection from school and higher potential for dropout, resulting in the likelihood of substance use and recidivism. Colorado JEA students are disproportionately students of color. The risk for substance abuse and mental health disorders is significantly higher for this at-risk population.
SPF-PFS funding will allow JES-CO to implement a comprehensive prevention approach that will reduce the onset and progression of substance misuse and its related problems through programs and practices that reach at-risk young people at their different levels of risk and social context. JES-CO’s programming will follow the Strategic Prevention Framework to build protective factors in schools and communities. The first goal is to create a coalition of state-wide collaborators including school partners and community members committed to shutting down the school-to-prison pipeline (STTP) through education, policy, and legislation.
GSN has relationships with more than 100 school districts and will partner with up to 5 of them in the first year. The JES-CO initiative will provide restorative practices and trauma-informed school training for all participating schools and community members. After this training at least 80% of participants will report an understanding of adolescent neural development, risk and protective factors, and the connection between substance use and school discipline. These universal interventions will increase social connection, social emotional learning (SEL) competencies, and positive school connection.
GSN’s second goal, the co-creation of the JESBOR, will specifically address system change to support adjudicated youth that will increase the protective factors of school connection, family support, trusted adults, purpose, and career readiness. JESBOR training, including how to support JEA students, their families, and reintegrate adjudicated students into the school environment will begin year three of the grant.
GSN has the goal to create 5 additional school district partners each year of the grant. This will increase the number of adjudicated students integrated into the school environment. GSN’s prevention based approach will reduce substance use and mental health disorders for all partner school district’s youth. Our JEA youth will benefit the greatest because of the selected and indicated interventions. The JESBOR and in-school, contracted, counseling support from licensed mental health and substance abuse professionals will increase access to health professionals, build SEL competencies, and address the functions of the behaviors. GSN anticipates that the outcome will be a 25% reduction of substance use by JEA students by September 2028.
