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School board authorizes superintendent to negotiate MOU with sheriff's office for new 'Futures Project' youth curriculum
Summary
Board authorized the acting superintendent to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Saint Mary Parish Sheriff's Office to implement a 10-week "Futures Project" curriculum for students, designed around TBRI principles and initially targeted at fifth graders.
The Saint Mary Parish School Board on Nov. 13 authorized the acting superintendent to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Saint Mary Parish Sheriff's Office to implement a locally developed 'Futures Project' curriculum in parish schools.
Chief Deputy John Kahl told the board the Futures Project grew from a prior three-year rural violent crime suppression grant and has since continued with local funding. "We built our own curriculum," Kahl said, describing it as a 10-week, plug-and-play program rooted in TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) and supported by peer-reviewed citations. He said the program aims to intervene early with juveniles through classroom modules and does not add instructional time for teachers.
Lieutenant Oscar West, the sheriff's juvenile interventionist, said the plan is to "serve our fifth grade students first" with modules that align logistically with existing DARE-style classes so teachers are not burdened by extra work.
Board members asked about staffing and rollout. Kahl said the office plans to have multiple officers certified to teach the curriculum across schools and that curriculum changes would be implemented in collaboration with school administration.
Doctor Wilson moved to authorize the acting superintendent to negotiate the MOU; Miss Brent seconded and the motion carried by voice vote.
Board members who spoke during the discussion commended the sheriff's office for community engagement activities such as "movie nights" and field events cited as part of the office's outreach efforts.
