3. What is your strategy for the school district’s involvement in promoting healthy youth and families (beyond the academics of school)? Have you thought of any specific school policies to help implement your strategies?
Mo McBride: I think the schools’ strategies, which can be found on the district website under the strategies and goals – I believe that most of the schools have set up goals and objectives that really do fit into AOC’s mantra of supporting youth. They want the high school population to feel connected to their peers and to the staff. They want them to participate in school activities of their choice. We want to have 100% of kids involved, not just some of the kids involved, so they’re shooting for that lofty goal. The district has always tried to facilitate that connectiveness between school/family/community – they’re willing to put it on paper. We could do more at the very young elementary age, because that’s not spoken about.
Lon Garrison: I think continuing to offer as many extra-curriculars as we can, supporting community schools, keeping kids involved and active, building a sense of community within the kids so they feel like they’re included. The district is well on its way to implementing those kind of things – they have a good set of policies. I think we just need to continue moving forward with that and see what we can accomplish with what little we have.
Tim Fulton: I think that the district is doing a good job providing opportunities for healthy youth and families. What we need to figure out is how to get our youth and families involved with these activities. It seems that we start losing them in middle school; it becomes more important for students to spend time with their friends. I wish I had a plan. If we do this they will come but I don’t. It is a very complex situation. I would propose a work group to put some thought to this.