Kansas |
The Kansas Department of Education (KDE) is implementing several programs that are designed to help its schools ensure they are safe and supportive, thereby improving student outcomes. Below are descriptions of three such programs.
Safe Supportive Schools
With a U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students Safe and Supportive Schools grant, the Kansas State Department Education is taking a systemic approach to improving conditions for learning through an analysis of available data about students’ perceptions regarding school safety, bullying, alcohol and drug use, and violence. The program has three goals: (1) implement a measurement system that uses valid and reliable survey instruments to assess students’ perceptions of school safety, engagement, and environment; (2) use survey and incident data to develop a safety score for participating schools; and (3) integrate data-driven, research-based interventions in eligible schools, encourage student engagement, create safe school environments, and invite community support.
Bullying Prevention Program
KDE has launched the Kansas Bullying Prevention program that offers comprehensive bullying prevention training for staff and for students and is nationally certified to provide the Olweus Bullying Prevention program and consultation. The program provides workshops, support, and a school safety hotline phone number.
Safe Schools/Healthy Students
Since 1999 the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice have collaboratively funded and supported the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative. The SS/HS Initiative is a discretionary grant to implement a coordinated SS/HS comprehensive plan of activities, curricula, programs, and services that focus on creating safe school environments, promoting healthy childhood development, and preventing youth violence and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use, henceforth referred to as the SS/HS comprehensive plan. An eligible applicant is a local educational agency (LEA) or a consortium of LEAs that partner with their local public mental health, law enforcement, and juvenile justice agencies to develop and submit a community-specific SS/HS comprehensive plan that addresses five elements. Kansas has one 2008 Safe School Healthy Students grantee.
The Kansas Department of Education (KDE) administers a student survey (Kansas Communities that Care Survey) that measures various risk and protective factors including drug/alcohol, culture, and climate. In addition, the KANDIS data collection and Building Principal Report of school level administrators measures conditions for learning.
KDE will use data from these surveys to assess school safety and conditions for learning in the state through project activities which are intended to affect systems change and/or improvements in addressing the academic and behavioral needs of students. Activities facilitate the early identification of students in need of supports, provide specific services to address those needs, and monitor and track progress and inform required modifications in the system.
On a biannual basis, Kansas collects data on priority health-risk behaviors and the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Below is data for a selection of YRBSS indicators for Kansas and the United States.
Indicator 1: Percent of Students Who Reported That They Had Been Threatened or Injured with a Weapon on School Property One Or More Times (for example, a gun, knife, or club during the 12 months before the survey)(2009)
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Indicator 2: Percentage of Students in Grades 9-12 Who Reported Having Been in a Physical Fight On School Property At Least One Time During the Previous 12 Months (2009)
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Indicator 3: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Were Offered, Sold, Or Given An Illegal Drug By Someone On School Property (2009)
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Indicator 4: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide (2009)
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Indicator 5: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Have Not Participated In At Least 60 Minutes of Physical Activity On Any Day (2009)
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Indicator 6: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Ate Fruits And Vegetables Five Or More Times Per Day (2007)
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Indicator 1: Percent of Students Who Reported That They Had Been Threatened or Injured with a Weapon on School Property One Or More Times (for example, a gun, knife, or club during the 12 months before the survey) (2009)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 2009. Surveillance Summaries, June 4, 2010. MMWR 2010;59(No. SS-5).
NOTE: 95% confidence interval
Indicator 2: Percentage of Students in Grades 9-12 Who Reported Having Been in a Physical Fight On School Property At Least One Time During the Previous 12 Months (2009)
Robers, S., Zhang, J., and Truman, J. (2010). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010 (NCES 2011-002/NCJ 230812). National Center for Education.
Indicator 3: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Were Offered, Sold, Or Given An Illegal Drug By Someone On School Property (2009)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 2009. Surveillance Summaries, June 4, 2010. MMWR 2010;59(No. SS-5).
NOTE: 95% confidence interval
Indicator 4: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide (2009)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance�United States, 2009. Surveillance Summaries, June 4, 2010. MMWR 2010;59(No. SS-5).
NOTE: 95% confidence interval
Indicator 5: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Have Not Participated In At Least 60 Minutes of Physical Activity On Any Day (2009)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 2009. Surveillance Summaries, June 4, 2010. MMWR 2010;59(No. SS-5).MMWR
NOTE: 95% confidence interval
Indicator 6: Percentage of High School Students Who Reported That They Ate Fruits And Vegetables Five Or More Times Per Day (2007)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 2007. Surveillance Summaries, June 6, 2008. MMWR
NOTE: 95% confidence interval
Upcoming Events
Supportive School Discipline Webinar Series: Addressing Truancy-- Innovative Approaches to Systemically Increasing Attendance and Reducing Chronic Truancy
February 27, 4:00-5:30 pm ET
Research
HHS/Office of Adolescent Health Updates State-by-State Adolescent Mental Health Facts. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Adolescent Health has recently updated its state summaries that focus on adolescent mental health. Each state page reports on positive social skills, depressive symptoms, depressive episodes and suicidal thoughts, attempts, and injuries. Learn More
