Bexar County continuum plan spotlights racial disparities in youth referrals, urges expanded school supports

Erica Crawford, director of systems change and community impact at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, presented the Bexar County Continuum of Care planning process to the Educational Opportunities Committee on April 21, describing an 18‑month, community‑engaged effort funded by an Office of Justice Programs grant that aims to reduce youth contact with the juvenile justice system.

Crawford said the county’s data show disproportionate referral and detention rates for Black youth. "Black youth, especially black males are being referred, arrested and detained at higher rates than their peers," she said, and identified the top three preventable referral reasons as "assaults with bodily injury, family violence, and vaping." The plan—compiled from qualitative and quantitative analysis, listening sessions and surveys—lays out seven community‑driven priorities that include expanding school‑based mental health services, broadening restorative practices to reduce exclusionary discipline, investing in specialized workforce development, and mapping resource deserts to target services.

The presenter said the project was supported by an OJJDP (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) 2023 Building Local Continuum of Care Category 2 grant and that the full plan will be released to the public after OJJDP review later this summer or early fall. Crawford also described early implementation work: action committees are volunteer‑based, Bexar County will convene the networks, and Meadows is building capacity supports and a proposal for an interactive dashboard and a mobile assessment center to bring services into resource‑scarce neighborhoods.

Committee members pressed for causes and next steps. Councilman Guev, responding to the referral data, said he was concerned about how school discipline and state-level statutory changes affect students' records: "I think a lot of good kids get wrapped up in that sometimes," he said. Crawford acknowledged that root causes are complex and said the action network will combine systems‑change strategies, restorative practice, trauma‑informed care and targeted community partnerships to address them.

The committee discussed potential city and county funding levers and closer collaboration with district leaders and nonprofits to move items from planning to implementation. Crawford said the Meadows team will share the complete plan and further data with the committee after federal review.

Next steps: the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute expects to publish the full Continuum of Care plan after OJJDP approval; committee members asked staff to review how city funding (including delegate agency dollars) might be used to support the plan’s priorities.