Build and Deepen a Positive School Climate

Greeley-Evans Weld County School District 6 (District 6) proposes the Build and Deepen a Positive School Climate Initiative to expand restorative practices, implement new threat assessment strategies, and prevent school violence risks among students. District 6 students and staff face significant daily challenges such as school safety, mental health issues, and the need for comprehensive support services. District-wide, 72.7% of students are racial minorities, and 60% of students are economically disadvantaged. The project will feature a Restorative Practices and Prevention Coordinator, Threat Management Coordinator, and new Guardian Case Management software to make a district-wide impact. These project components are needed to address school safety concerns of students, parents, and staff by ensuring that students have every resource available. The project will benefit the nearly 23,000 students district-wide in Greeley, Colorado, with an emphasis on students at the highest risk of being violence involved. The project goals are to 1) prevent school-based violence across the school district through a social emotional learning approach, and 2) address gaps and adapt current strategies to reduce school violence. Primary activities to achieve these goals will be to 1) increase the efficacy and consistency of the district’s restorative practices, 2)  implement new best practice models to strengthen the restorative practices in place, 3) support students and adults to develop skills to repair harm in relationships and build a stronger sense of school community, 4) build and deepen a positive school climate and culture by training staff on restorative practices, social emotional learning, and positive behavioral interventions and supports, 5) directly support students with behavioral issues, 6) provide mental health services to students, 7) provide assessment, referrals, and interventions with students, 8) conduct risk/threat assessments with students referred for safety concerns, 9) develop a plan to manage threats and support students, and 10) implement new case management software to improve the district’s response and coordination for behavioral incidents. The expected outcomes are staff will deepen their knowledge of restorative practices and associated professional competencies, suspension and expulsion rates will decrease, discipline disproportionality for marginalized students will decrease, and positive youth development and social emotional learning will increase. This initiative is designed to promote equity and remove barriers to service access and supports for historically marginalized communities. Project activities will be implemented through an equitable and culturally responsive lens and incorporate input through student listening sessions, meetings with student councils, and annual student and parent surveys.