In alignment with BJA's stop school violence program priorities, this category 2 project was developed to offer solutions designed to bridge a dangerous GAP in mental health and intervention…

In alignment with BJA's stop school violence program priorities, this category 2 project was developed to offer solutions designed to bridge a dangerous GAP in mental health and intervention services for at-risk students in the genesee valley central school district (gvcsd), allegany county, new york. This project will build out a crisis intervention team (CIT) response to mitigate trauma and recidivism through coordinated student and family support, as well as offer school-based mentoring and counseling. The crisis intervention team (CIT) will blend a school social worker, law enforcement and a licensed mental health counselor (lmhc) as a multidisciplinary approach to address the school violence trajectory posed by at-risk students in the kindergarten through grade twelve building. The team will be trained to use police-facilitated family conferencing to "engage youth, family and community partners to meet the needs of at-risk individuals," (https://WWW.missouristate.EDU/CDR/FGC.HTM). Further, gvcsd will employ an lmhc to make free counseling services available during and after school hours to identified students and families. Additionally, peaceful schools, INC. Will place a full-time interventionist in the school to deliver check & connect™, a program designed for students in grades six through twelve. This evidence-based program, recognized in the what works clearinghouse, will offer a continuum of communication and resource solutions to ensure at-risk students' needs are addressed thereby reducing the likelihood of deviant behaviors. This project includes training a check & connect™ trainer to build and sustain the program beyond the grant term. This multi-pronged tier III approach will serve "to help prevent acts of violence and ensure a positive school climate". The project design is intended to be easily replicable and highly effective in rural regions with limited resources.