Joan Padilla, Attorney General's office, Landa Heys, Center for Study and Prevention of Violence, CU-Boulder, Christie McElhinney, The Colorado Trust,
Denver--Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar, John R. Moran, Jr., president of The Colorado Trust, and Dr. Delbert Elliott, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at CU-Boulder (Violence Prevention Center), announced efforts to help Colorado schools and communities prevent youth violence. These new efforts are:
1) the development of a comprehensive Model Interagency Agreement for information sharing between schools, law enforcement and other agencies in possession of juvenile justice information, now authorized and mandated by Colorado law;
2) a $1 million grant by The Colorado Trust in support of the Safe Communities-Safe Schools Initiative that will enable the Violence Prevention Center to provide assistance to schools and communities statewide in safe school planning; more than 1,000 requests have been received from schools and communities since the Initiative began; and
3) information on bullying and strategies on bullying prevention developed by the Violence Prevention Center which will be made available to all Colorado schools to help them develop bullying policies as required by the new bullying prevention law. The bullying information is also available to the public. It is targeted to schools, students and parents to raise awareness about the issue.
"The good news is that today we know what we must do to address school safety and youth violence. I believe we have a moral obligation to address this challenge with a sustained commitment. Today we take a few more steps in that long journey," said Attorney General Salazar.
MODEL AGREEMENT FOR SHARING OF JUVENILE JUSTICE INFORMATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER AGENCIES
Safe Communities-Safe Schools partners started a Task Force as a result of juvenile information sharing laws passed by the Legislature last year which authorized and required a greater exchange of information between schools, law enforcement agencies and other agencies in possession of juvenile justice information. The Task Force included representatives of 22 agencies, and it developed a Model Agreement to assist in the sharing of juvenile justice information. The purpose of the Model Agreement is to ensure that specific information about a student, including information that rises to the level of a public safety concern, is shared between law enforcement and schools. The Agreement details the information that can be shared, under what circumstances, and with whom that information can be shared.
The Division of Criminal Justice of the Colorado Department of Public Safety contributed funding to put the 62-page Model Agreement on compact disc. One thousand of these CDs will be distributed throughout the State to school districts, law enforcement and other local agencies.
COLORADO TRUST $1 MILLION GRANT
The Colorado Trust announced a $1 million grant in support of the Safe Communities-Safe Schools Initiative that will enable the Violence Prevention Center to provide assistance to schools and communities statewide in safe school planning; more than 1,000 requests have been received from schools and communities since the Initiative began.
This funding is in addition to a $1 million grant The Trust provided in 1999 that was directed toward comprehensive technical assistance for 8 schools and 8 school districts to help them design and implement safe school plans. The additional need resulted, in part, from more than 60 statewide forums conducted by the Violence Prevention Center and Attorney General Salazar.
"Parents, school personnel, law enforcement agencies and other community groups across Colorado are acutely aware of the need to seriously address issues of youth violence. With this increased awareness comes the need for more information and assistance," said John R. Moran, Jr., president of The Colorado Trust. "As part of our long-standing commitment to preventing youth violence, we are pleased to provide support to the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence as it carries out The Colorado Trust's Safe Communities-Safe Schools Initiative to meet the increased requests for assistance from across the State."
BULLYING PREVENTION
Dr. Elliott announced that the Violence Prevention Center has developed information on bullying and strategies on bullying prevention which will be made available to all Colorado schools to help them develop bullying policies as required by the new bullying prevention law. The bullying information is also available to the public. It is targeted to schools, students and parents to raise awareness about the issue. The bullying prevention legislation was developed as a result of the findings of the Safe Communities-Safe Schools statewide program last year. The information sheets can be accessed via the web at .
"There is clear evidence that bullying is an important risk factor for subsequent involvement in very serious forms of violence. The Surgeon General's Report on Youth Violence identifies involvement in physical aggression at ages 6-14 as an important risk factor for serious violence at ages 15-18, and U.S. Secret Service profiles of youth involved in the recent series of multiple school shootings reveal that two-thirds had some record of being either bullies or victims of bullying," said Elliott. "Left unchecked, bullying creates a social climate with a high potential for weapons being carried to school and school shootings. Safe schools are schools that are aware of bullying and address it effectively when it occurs."
The Safe Communities-Safe Schools Initiative is a statewide partnership aimed at reducing school and community violence in Colorado. The Initiative relies upon intensive school-community collaboration in both preventing and responding to youth violence. The Initiative is funded primarily by The Colorado Trust. Other partners include the Attorney General's Office, The Colorado Department of Education, the Colorado Association of School Boards, the Colorado Association of School Executives, the Colorado Federation of Teachers, the Colorado Education Association, the Metro Denver and Front Range Safe and Drug-Free School Coordinators, Coors Brewing Company, the Colorado Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Justice, and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Violence Prevention Center, a clearinghouse and research center on the causes and prevention of violence, was founded and is directed by Dr. Delbert Elliott, a CU-Boulder professor and a nationally-recognized youth violence prevention expert. Dr. Elliott recently served as the scientific editor for the Surgeon General's Report to the Nation on Youth Violence.
The Colorado Trust is a private Colorado grantmaking foundation dedicated to the health and well-being of the people of Colorado. Toward that end, The Trust supports innovative projects, conducts studies, develops services and provides education. Established in 1985, The Colorado Trust initiatives aim to provide accessible and affordable health care programs and strengthen families.