Promoting safe schools and healthy students in rural Pennsylvania

The Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative is currently underway in the Tyrone Area School District. Tyrone is a rural community characterized by high levels of poverty, unemployment, and youth problems including substance use and alienation from school and community. Its strengths include strong administrative leadership and prior successful collaboration with Penn State University. The goals of the SS/HS Initiative involve reducing risk and building competencies for students and their families through integration of law enforcement and mental health into school-based prevention efforts. The programs include early childhood, elementary, and secondary school components; and also district-wide components that span these developmental levels. Despite challenges associated with the integration of different professional perspectives into the school environment, the Tyrone SS/HS Initiative has been quite successful. Program evaluation is varied, and reflects the different programs and student populations served. Currently, plans for sustaining and institutionalizing SS/HS programs are underway in Tyrone.