Editorial

Editorial /

Operation Safe Haven ■I ' I * It was bound to happen eventually, and this year is when it happened. The federal grant which funds a variety of programs for “at risk” students at the public schools will not be continued after this school year. Under that large grant program and some smaller ones three employees have been working full time and three part time. The school system employed a social worker, a coordinator, and a faculty member to work with students in in-school suspension and to handle drug and alcohol education. Together with guidance counsellors at both schools, the employees in this program help students who confront problems with family substance abuse and violence, pregnancy, and the now “normal” strains of adolescent life. Under the name of Operation Safe Haven, they have offered individual and group counseling. They have no doubt prevented drop outs. They have helped students get help with problems caused by drug and alcohol use. Most of all * they have been friends to many teenagers and younger : children confronting problems most of us adults did not face in ’ our youth. Each year when School Superintendent David Gangel went to the Board of Supervisors to request appropriation of these grant funds in the fall, he assured the supervisors these ; people would only be employed in this program as long as the l grant funds lasted and local taxpayers would not be asked to ' pick up the cost once grant funds ran out., , Of course the purpose of such federal grants is to support pilot programs with the idea that if they are successful, local : funds will pick them up once the pilot period is over. It was j probably an unwise commitment to make to the supervisors. \ However, Dr. Gangel and the School Board feel they l must stick to that promise. In the meantime the state has required that school systems employ school social workers or visiting teachers, ; and so taxpayers will be picking up that position. However, most of that employee’s time is committed to special I education, working with other staff members to develop • individual educational plans for each eligible student. Additionally by combining grant funds left over because the federal fiscal year does not correspond to the county’s and other small grant programs, there will be sufficient funds to ; employ one person to handle in-school suspension at both ; schools. What is likely to be lost is the one-on-one contact by team members with troubled students who voluntarily come to these people for support. Probably by picking the expense of one more full-time staff member most of these programs can be continued. The , School Board has decided it cannot make this request of the supervisors. Most of the high school staff supports continuation of Operation Safe Haven. The program has many friends among students, parents and community members. We hope these people will make their feelings known to the supervisors in person, over the telephone and by speaking up at the public hearing which the supervisors will hold on the school budget. e Operation Safe Haven is working. It deserves to be continued.