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Officials urge pairing enforcement with prevention: social workers, grants and community partnerships
Summary
Board members and principals described prior grant‑funded programs (Project Success) and recommended expanded partnerships with the township and mental health providers to fund social‑work supports, prevention messaging and targeted interventions for students caught using substances.
Several principals and staff described how prevention programming and social‑work support have helped students in the past and argued that new enforcement rules should be paired with renewed support services. A high‑school administrator said the district previously ran a grant‑funded "Project Success" program that supported group therapy and social‑work interventions; that grant ended and staff said the loss reduced on‑the‑ground support.
"Bella Hutchison was one of our social workers... Project Success was fantastic," the principal said, urging the board to explore partnership and grant opportunities. Board members discussed connecting with the township opioid task force and seeking funds or coordination with the county mental health authority. Members also proposed volunteer or restorative opportunities—supervised community service or sheriff‑coordinated volunteer days—as alternatives to out‑of‑school suspension.
The board agreed to ask staff to research funding sources, invite community partners to participate in policy development, and identify which programs could be reinstated or scaled if funding is obtained.
