LEA: TIVA SSSI April 2024
LEA Newsletter
Sam Houston University CARES Podcast invited the T4PA State Initiative to be a guest on their school safety podcast as we discuss the State Initiative's role with ESCs and LEAs. LINK
T4PA Federal Program Information
April
ESC ESSA Basic Services Grant - First data submission Due April 1, 2024.
Evaluate program objectives, intended outcomes, and evaluation for effectiveness data for the activities funded with TIVA in the past year (2022-23).
Consult with required stakeholders and gather input/feedback on the TIVA program and activities being supported with funds (2023-24).
Review and evaluate program objectives and intended outcomes, and evaluate for effectiveness data for the activities funded with TIVA (2023-24).
Review LEA progress toward meeting outcomes data with stakeholders.
Complete Comprehensive Needs Assessment.
Review Campus & District Improvement Plans.
Start discussions and draft TIVA program objectives, intended outcomes, and evaluation for effectiveness tool with stakeholders for the upcoming year (2024-25).
ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application Opens – 5.20.24
ESSA Consolidated Grant Application Training Available for Registration
TEA staff will conduct application training sessions through video conference webinars. Register for the session in advance by clicking on the session title. These trainings will be recorded and posted on the Grants Administration Division's Grant Resources webpage.
ESSA Consolidated | May 28, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Resources
Contact Information
School Safety Grants
- T4PA State Initiative Crosswalk - Updated to include SAFE Grant Cycle 2
- SAFE Cycle 2 - Grant Allocations by District Number (CDN) (updated 4/3/24)
- **SNS Note: Schools using state funds in the current year to meet a state requirement may not use federal funds in the current or next school year to meet that same need.
Grants to Replace or Retrofit School Buses
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Texas Emissions Reduction Plan is now accepting applications for the Texas Clean School Bus program, which is designed to reduce school children’s exposure to diesel exhaust from school buses. Grants are available statewide for eligible public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in Texas. Private schools do not qualify for funding. Applications are accepted and considered on a first-come, first-served basis until October 14, 2024, or until all available funds have been awarded.
School Safety Compliance
You're Invited: TxSSC Multi-hazard EOP Review Cycle Preview Webinar
- April 17, 2024, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
- Initial overview of the 2024 - 2025 Multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Review. This year’s review will examine the Basic Plan and the Cybersecurity Annex
- Highly recommend that superintendents, as well as safety and security, emergency management, and district information technology personnel attend this webinar. We will collect questions and provide a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document after the webinar, along with a link to the recording.
- Register here
EOP Annex Submission | Fall, 2024
- TxSSC Cybersecurity Toolkit, includes Cybersecurity Annex Course
- This will be the only area audited in the EOP Fall 2024
- Recommended internal coordination with safety/security + technology
EOP Training and Exercise Annex Toolkit
- TxSSC Released March 2024
The School Safety Standards Compliance Assessment is Open and accessible through the Intruder Detection Audit Dashboard
- The Compliance Assessment has now reopened to allow districts to update their compliance status as they become compliant with the required components.
- For districts that are not at least provisionally compliant with the safety standards, updating your status can have implications for your allowable costs for SAFE Grant - Cycle 2.
- The form will remain open and districts can continue to update as often as they like until they are fully compliant with all of the safety requirements.
Safe and Supportive School Program (SSSP) Data Reporting
- The data reporting window for the 2023-2024 school year is June 1 - June 30, 2024.
- Resources: 23-24 Data reporting questions + Data collection instrument.
- For more information and resources go to TEA SSSP Website.
Attorney General Releases School Safety Guidance and Makes OAG Training Available to SROs read the advisory, click here.
Operationalizing School Behavioral Threat Assessment Programming - TxSSC
- Technical assistance sessions
- An action plan, created by TxSSC, based on the outcomes of the technical assistance session. TxSSC will issue action plans to districts one to two weeks after their session. The action plan will support them in improving their threat assessment programming.
Safe and Healthy Learning Environments
Substance Use Prevention
FYI: Drug Trends
Resource: Tall Cop and the Penjamin Cart Pen by Smyle Labs.
Great Marketing! Think of it as a "writing pen built with a high-performance cartridge battery designed to provide a seamless aromatherapy experience."
In the link's Q&A section, there is a question, "Is this a tobacco or vapor product?" The answer is, "No, the Cart Pen is a writing pen that includes a 510-threaded adapter. This product is intended for aromatherapy purposes only. There is no tobacco, liquid, extract, or any other consumable material in the product."
However... the full description, specifically says, "The Penjamin™ is a discreet 510 threaded battery made for your cartridges! This design allows you to write with the pen but also take rips (vapes) wherever you choose without anyone knowing or asking for aroma!" The term 510 thread is the name of the battery in vapes and is widely used in vape tanks or cartridges.
Look for them the next time you are in a convenience store.
DEA Resource for Parents, Educators, + Caregivers
Youth Vaping: The Problem and the Solutions
- Wednesday, April 17 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CT
- Say What! Program discusses findings from the recent national survey, concerns of nicotine use and its impact on teen mental health as well as resources that are available to schools, administrators, teachers, parents, and students to help students avoid or quit vaping. This virtual training is free but you must register to attend.
Say What! Tobacco-Free Conference
- The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) is hosting its 2024 Say What! Texas Tobacco-Free Conference from July 21-23, 2024, in Austin, TX
- Registration for the conference closes May 31
- Student and adult sessions on a range of youth tobacco prevention and implementation topics
Mental Health
Be Alert this Spring for Students Exhibiting Troubling Warning Signs
- Increased Numbers of Suicide and Acts of Violence in the Spring Months
- Includes Acts of School Violence Anniversary Dates
- "Spring Requires Extra Vigilance" article by Youth Risk Prevention Specialists
Dr. Jonathan Singer: "Guidelines for Suicide Risk Screening, Assessment, and Monitoring, and Intervening with a Potentially Suicidal Student" | Half Day Virtual Project Aware Webinar: | Friday, May 3 | 9-12 pm | Meeting Link Meeting ID: 259 550 208 216 Passcode: SDC3Un
TAA: Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health Survey, April 4, 2024
- Action Required: Superintendents should designate the campus/school administrators to work with school multidisciplinary teams with awareness and oversight of mental and behavioral health-related programs and processes to facilitate completing the online survey by May 23, 2024.
- Access the required survey.
- To assist school teams with gathering information to respond to the survey questions, a PDF of the survey questions is available on the Texas School Mental Health HB 906 Task Force page.
- Please review the survey by April 11, 2024, and submit any questions through this form.
- The Task Force will collect questions received by April 11 and post responses to those questions by April 15 on the Texas School Mental Health HB 906 Task Force page. If you have additional questions while working on the survey, please email or call the School Mental Health Task Force Chair Tracy Spinner directly at tracyspinner@daybreakhealth.com.
Re-Entry Plans and the Law
- School districts that have students returning to campus after hospitalizations or suicide attempts must provide an re-entry plan
- More information TEC 38.351(i)(5)(A-B) and FFEB legal and local policy.
Child Mind: Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Pre-K Project
- A video series, based on mental health research, created to make important mental health skills available to preschool children (age 3 to 5)
- Free companion guides
TEA's Mental Health Resources
General School Mental Health Resources: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/
Mental Health Resources Database: https://schoolmentalhealthtxdatabase.org/
Mental Health Best Practice Repository: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/best-practices/
Child Abuse + Human Trafficking
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline Crisis
- A safe, nonjudgmental and inclusive space for those concerned about or affected by child abuse.
- This is NOT a reporting line for child abuse. The hotline is NOT connected to emergency services nor is it a replacement for 911 emergency responsive services.
- Counselors provide support, coping resources, and crisis counseling to helpseekers first and foremost.
The 2024 Calendars are now available for Order Here
This free family resource is filled with helpful tips for parents and caregivers of children of all ages. It’s available in English and Spanish, and endorsed by The Texas Pediatric Society. Calendars can be ordered in multiples of 100 with a maximum order of 500.
Physical Health
Deadlines + Due Dates
- 2023-2024 Annual School Health Survey - Deadline May 24, 2024 | TAA
- 2023-2024 Physical Fitness Assessment—Deadline June 14, 2024
- Vision, Hearing, and Spinal Screening Reporting - Deadline June 30, 2024
Healthy Relationships
Dating Violence Literature Review - This literature review discusses research surrounding teen dating violence, including definitions of different types of dating violence, the scope of the problem, risk and protective factors related to perpetration and victimization, short- and long-term consequences, and outcome evidence of programs that seek to prevent or reduce the occurrence of teen dating violence. This review focuses on dating violence that occurs between adolescents in middle and high school (primarily youth ages 12 to 18).
Healthy Relationship Animation - This project is part early intervention work with young people that aims to reduce the risk of conflict, domestic abuse and poor mental health.
Cyberbullying: Actionable Strategies for Administrators - Virtual
April 25th, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm CST
Administrators are in the unenviable role of having to make very difficult disciplinary and policy decisions as it relates to peer harassment - both offline and online. Furthermore, they are responsible to exercise due diligence in their prevention programming, or else come under scrutiny for possible liability claims. We focus on equipping these point personnel with the knowledge they need to act through exercises based on real-world examples and research-based best practices that continue to evolve. The targeted audience for this training is school administrators and personnel responsible for implementing discipline and/or policy decisions regarding technology use. Register Here
Identifying and Responding to Anonymous Online Threats
- Free Virtual Education Session
- Discuss anonymous online threats and how to identify them. With the proper tools and skills, your team can effectively provide support to individuals when these threats are encountered.
- April 23, 2024 | 11-1 pm CST | Registration
2023 Discipline Data Validation Compliance Reviews
TAA - 2023 Discipline Data Validation Compliance Reviews.
Well-Rounded Education + Technology
Texas Mobile STEM Laboratory Application Window is Open
- Texas Mobile STEM Lab + Video
- STEM engagement opportunities for students during the 2024–2025 school year
- Mobile lab offers engaging, hands-on educational experiences for kindergarten through grade 8 students and teachers
- Application window is April 1, 2024, through May 31, 2024
- All Texas public schools that offer classes for kindergarten through grade 8 are eligible to register for a free visit during the 2023–2024 school year
STEM PD - Leadership Training
This immersive professional development prepares campus administrators STEM leaders to shape, support, and sustain STEM initiatives within their district or campus. Participants will learn by doing, engaging directly in the instructional approaches most critical to the STEM endeavor: project-based learning, design-based challenges, and computational thinking. Working backward from a model vision for STEM education, the session culminates with leaders collaboratively planning for real-life implementation of STEM programming.
- Region 13: May 30–31, 2024 Registration
- Region 10: June 11–12, 2024 Registration
- Region 15: June 17, 2024 Registration
STEM PD - Teacher Training
This professional development prepares teachers for successful implementation of STEM instruction in their classrooms by immersing teachers directly in the role of STEM learner, engaging first-hand in high-impact STEM practices such as project-based learning, design-based challenges, and computational thinking. To better understand the role STEM plays in education, educators will make connections between the Texas STEM framework, STEM fluency skills, and contemporary workforce demands. Most importantly, educators will begin embedding these STEM strategies into what matters most—their daily work with students.
- Region 17: June 13–14, 2024 Registration
- Region 13: June 12–14, 2024 Registration
Grow Your Skills
- Texas School Safety Conference | June 23-27 | San Antonio. Conference Agenda. Registration Link
- Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium 2024 | September 18-19 | Mesquite, TX
- Parent & Family Engagement Statewide Conference | October 16-18, 2024 | Houston, TX | Registration information will be available in April 2024.
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Rod Pruitt, Coordinator
Nancy Galle, Consultant
Dr. John Phillips, Consultant