Is it Candy, or Drugs? Substance Abuse Awareness and Over-the-Counter Medicines
Phillip Hubbs, Executive Director, Proactive Network Against Substance Abuse, CA

Is it candy or is it drugs? What household products are abused? Why is the abuse of prescription drugs & OTC medicines on the rise with our teens? How easy is it to buy marijuana in your neighborhood? Come and learn to recognize the signs of drug use, as well as the physical effects, packaging, and slang terms of the latest drugs. This session is for parents, teachers, and administrators interested in the latest news, strategies, solutions, and resources in the fight against substance abuse.

Strand: NEW!; Safety and Violence Prevention; CASCWA; Juvenile Detention
Grade Level: K–12

Substance Abuse Prevention: A Win-Win for Districts, Students, and Families
John Miranda, Regional Coord. LifeSkills Training, Princeton Health Press, CA; Jim Crittenden, SDCOE Student Support Services, CA; Christina Boyd, TUPE Coord./Life Skills, SDUSD: Counseling and Guidance, CA; Pamela J. Werb, U of Min Medical School, Facility Department of Family Practice and Community Health, MN

Alcohol and other drug use results in predictable negative consequences for teens, the classroom, and districts–including absenteeism and related underachievement. Prevention and early intervention services are a cost-effective strategy to move the marker on test scores and improved school attendance.

Strand: NEW!, Safety and Violence Prevention; CASCWA; Foster Youth & Juvenile Detention; VetORC
Grade Level: K–12

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
Brian Lee, Deputy Director, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, CA

California faces a dropout crisis that poses a significant threat to public safety. An estimated one in three California high school students does not graduate from high school on time. High school dropouts are three-and-one-half times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested, and more than eight times as likely to be in jail or prison. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California is a nonprofit, bipartisan, anti-crime organization led by California's sheriffs, police chiefs, district attorneys, and crime victims dedicated to reducing crime. This session will address their efforts to reduce the dropout rate and its impact on schools and communities.

Strand: NEW!, Safety and Violence Prevention' CASCWA; Foster Youth & Juvenile Detention
Grade Level: K–12

Trickery, Trolling, and Threats: Understanding and Addressing Cyberbullying
Marcie Denberg Serra, Assistant Director of Education, San Diego Anti-Defamation League, CA

For the current generation of teens, e-mailing, instant messaging, text messaging, chatting, and blogging are a vital means of self-expression and a central part of their social lives. This session will look at how some youth are misusing Internet and cell phone technology to bully and harass others, and even to incite violence. The session will provide educators and administrators with strategies to respond effectively to cyberbullying.

The workshop will also provide practical information and opportunities for skill-building that will support school communities in developing comprehensive plans for preventing and taking action against cyberbullying and social cruelty in online forums.

Strand: NEW!; Safety and Violence Prevention; CASCWA
Grade Level: 6–12

Gone With The Wind: A Missed Day of School Can Never Be Replaced
Truancy: Mediation and Prosecution
Lois Baer, Deputy District Attorney, Truancy Program Director, Office of the District Attorney, Santa Clara County, CA

This presentation will outline the programs that a district attorney's office can provide when students are habitually truant from school. The Model Mediation and Prosecution Programs of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office will be covered. These programs have been successfully used for over 14 years. The D.A. Mediation Program is an intervention that can be presented to families to remedy their students' truant habits short of going to court. The D.A. Prosecution Program covers parents of elementary students who are not taking their children to school as well as truant middle and high school students. The discussion will include applicable charges for truancy and the consequences for each. Participants will leave with an effective strategy for addressing at-risk habitually truant students at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Strand: NEW!; Family and Community; CASCWA
Grade Level: K–12

Building a Student Assistance Program (SAP)
Portia Lee, Director; Patti Azevedo, MA, MS, MFTI, Mental Health Coord., PUSD: Safe Schools & Health Students Dept., CA

This workshop highlights lessons learned in implementing a Student Assistance Program (SAP) at middle and high school campuses. A discussion of accomplishments, mistakes made, and lessons learned will provide participants with an understanding of how to structure a SAP and a system for implementing referrals, running educational support groups, and effectively establishing links with outside agencies.

Strand: NEW!; Best Practices; CASCWA
Grade Level: 7–12

FERPA: Protecting the Rights of At-Risk Students
LeRoy Rooker, Director, Family Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Ed., DC

Students at risk are impacted in most aspects of their lives–at home, in school, and in the community. As fragile members of the school population, they are frequently bombarded by intrusions into their private lives. School personnel must ensure that these students' rights of confidentiality are not compromised. This interactive session will focus on the federal protections afforded parents and students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and how school officials, including school law enforcement personnel, can operate under FERPA. Session will include a question and answer time.

Strand: NEW!; Safety and Violence Prevention; CASCWA; Foster Youth & Juvenile Detention; VetORC
Grade Level: K–12

Meeting the Needs of At-Risk Students through Foster Youth Services Programs (FYS)
Michelle Lustig, MSW, Ed.D., Coordinator, Foster Youth Services, SDCOE Student Support Services, CA; Pamela Hosmer, Program Mgr./Homeless Liaison, San Diego District Office, CA; Jeni Mendel, Child Welfare & Attendance, Educational Services Division, Grossmont UHSD, CA; Karen Alexander, Homeless & Foster Youth Liaison, LMSV District Office, CA

San Diego COE Foster Youth Services Program (FYS) endeavors to respond, assist, and empower all systems that support foster youth achieving academic success. FYS programs are designed to prepare foster youth to become successful, self-sufficient, and independent adults. FYS programs across California, in 57 counties and 6 core school districts, achieve the goal of closing the achievement gap for students in foster care through thoughtful collaboration across systems. Session participants will learn about FYS programs both locally and statewide.

Strand: NEW!; Engaging At-Risk Students; CASCWA; Foster Youth; Juvenile Detention
Grade Level: K–12

Models of Dropout Prevention
Speakers will include representatives from the Grossmont Union HSD, Vista USD, Chula Vista ESD, and others

Ten school districts have been designated as Models of Dropout Prevention by the State School Attendance Review Board. As Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell stated, “These school districts have taken on that challenge by creating a safety net for students with persistent school attendance or behavior problems.” Superintendent O'Connell presented the districts with their awards at the annual state CASCWA conference in Long Beach in April. These sessions will present the components of these award-winning programs.

Strand: NEW!; Best Practices; CASCWA
Grade Level: K–12

Improving Educational Outcomes for Children in Out-of-Home Care: A Collaborative Effort
Dennis Leggett, Ed.D., East Region CWS Educational Liaison, Health and Human Services Agency Child Welfare Services, San Diego COE, CA; Karen Alexander, Homeless & Foster Youth Liaison, LMSV District Office, CA

In San Diego's East County, schools, child welfare, law enforcement, the courts, community collaboratives, and other agencies have collaborated to ensure that all East County children are surrounded by familiar people and places that encourage them to thrive. Efforts have focused on maintaining placement and school stability when child welfare or law enforcement has to intervene to protect a child. East Region's Child Welfare Services and the La Mesa–Spring Valley School District are currently involved with the Casey Family Program-sponsored “Breakthrough Series Collaborative
on Improving Educational Continuity and School Stability for Children in Out-of-Home Care.” The presenters will discuss potentially promising strategies for improving practice in their education and child welfare systems that will ultimately support educational continuity and school stability for children in out-of-home care.

Strand: NEW!; Family and Community Collaboration; CASCWA
Grade Level: K–12

They're Here, They're Queer, Now What?
Judy Chiasson, Program Coordinator, Office of Human Relations, Diversity, and Equity, LAUSD, CA

Increased visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals and concerns is causing schools to examine their practices in the nexus of legal, cultural, and community perspectives. School personnel often feel unsure of how to proceed. This workshop will examine the legal, ethical, and practical considerations of addressing sexual orientation and gender identity in public school settings.

Strand: NEW!, Best Practices; CASCWA; VetORC
Grade Level: K–12

Efficiently Practicing for Multiple School Threats
Jess Martinez, Program Coord., Readiness & Emergency Management for Schools, San Diego COE, Pupil Services, Safe Schools, CA

Unfortunately, schools are experiencing threats of violence that affect the learning environment. During this session participants will learn how to efficiently practice for lockdown, earthquake, and fire in one setting without encroaching excessively on instructional time. Attendees will receive a script to guide them through the “Three in One” drill. The drill script also includes an English/Spanish post-drill message to parents on reunification procedures in case of an incident.

Strand: Best Practices; CASCWA

Girls United to Succeed (GUTS): A Gang Intervention Program
Barbara Rivas, Coord. Violence Prevention/Intervention Unit, Founder, GUTS Program; Cathey Casanova, GUTS Program Lead Facilitator; Reina Morgan, GUTS Program Facilitator; Erika Gonzalez, GUTS Program Facilitator Intern, Student Support Services Dept., San Diego COE, CA

This workshop will describe a gender-specific intervention model for working with highly aggressive and/or gang-affiliated girls and/or parenting teens with high risk factors. Program is geared for schools, agencies, and institutions serving school-aged girls. Data for GUTS pilot program at a middle school in the San Diego area will be shared. Q and A period allowed as part of the session.

Strand: NEW!, Safety and Violence Prevention, CASCWA; Foster Youth & Juvenile Detention; VetORC
Grade Level: 7–12