Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities

CCCS uses its Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities grant to partially fund its Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success (TAAAS) program that incorporates a positive approach model to improve school safety. The TAAAS program was initiated in the 2006-07 school year with the goal of reducing classroom disruption caused by students with severe behavioral problems. TAAAS offers at-risk students academic, therapeutic, and behavioral support in a self-contained classroom within the regular school buildings.

The program is designed to reduce aggressive behavior, increase students’ self-evaluation and self-control, improve socialization skills, increase attendance and improve academic performance. As a result, we have a safer school with an improved school climate, more conducive to teaching and learning.

TAAAS, which uses the Positive Approaches Model, includes:

• A point and level system with identified target behaviors tracked and weekly rewards given for appropriate behavior
• Individual and group therapies to address anger management, social skills, problem solving, bullying, relationships, drug/alcohol use, self-esteem, and appropriate expression of emotions
• Daily tracking of students’ progress on point sheets
• Crisis response and prevention
• Psycho-education provided formally and informally to all team members on positive approaches, behavioral interventions, and mental health disorders, and
• Therapeutic interventions to address emotional and behavioral needs (redirection, calming strategies, teaching replacement behaviors, modeling, and understanding how behavior addresses emotional/behavioral needs)