Schools to get $400K for violence prevention program

Ulster BOCES has secured a $400,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at helping Ulster County school districts mitigate the threat of school violence through a Behavior Threat Assessment (BTA) program, a prevention and intervention initiative.

The initiative, which is being rolled out over three years of grant funding, is “grounded in providing support to students and cultivating a nurturing and positive school environment,” said a BOCES press release.

The program is an approach to school safety that was created for the Justice Department by Dewey G. Cornell, a professor of Education at the University of Virginia and an expert in school threat assessments, the announcement said.

“The program focuses on identifying risk factors and taking proactive measures to safeguard students’ mental and physical well-being, helping to steer them away from a path that leads to violence,” the release said.

To bolster the initiative, a partnership has also been established with Navigate360, an online case management software that provides solutions that align with the “CASEL framework,” which focuses on building knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five key areas of social and emotional competence, the release said.

“The BTA program is a solution-based approach to violence prevention that focuses on early intervention by addressing issues such as bullying, teasing, and other forms of conflict before they become violent behaviors,” said Barbara Tischler Hastie, coordinator of School Development/Instructional Services Ulster BOCES.

The $400,000 grant also supports training on suicide awareness and other mental health concerns.

To date, Rondout Valley, Wallkill, Ellenville, and New Paltz school districts have been participating in the program, the release said.