FERNDALE - The Ferndale School District is one of 10 sites around the country piloting programs designed to educate middle and high school students about domestic violence prevention and strengthen school responses.
The Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission Against Domestic Violence recently received a three-year, $549,000 grant from the Department of Justice to partner with the Ferndale School District.
"The whole domestic violence movement for many years has been at the community level," said Susan Marks, director of the commission. "The idea is to move this to school level."
The grant program's goal is to reach students who are affected by domestic violence, either as victims or perpetrators - sexual assault and stalking, especially cyber stalking.
The pilot program includes funding for:
- developing a community group and a youth advisory board to create a strategic plan and help.
- creating a prevention education program that includes classroom presentations and events coordinated by the youth advisory board.
- updating school and district policies so students will receive the same response and support no matter which staff member they turn to for help.
- creating a parent and community outreach program.
District Superintendent Linda Quinn, who is part of the domestic violence commission, said she doesn't think the district has a "particularly big" domestic violence program but is pleased to be part of the grant program because everyone could benefit from increased education and prevention.
"I do know times are tough for lots of kids and their families, and tough times mean extra stress," Quinn wrote in an email in response to questions. "We need to help kids learn productive, non-violent ways to deal with stressful situations, and the education component of this grant can help."
During the first year of the grant, the district and commission will be mostly planning and organizing the advisory groups and creating education programs. The second and third years will have a focus on implementation, Marks said.
And if the pilot projects are successful, the goal will be to replicate them in other schools and districts across Whatcom County and the country.
Marks said the commission will be tracking the number of students disclosing domestic violence or stalking issues, and she expects the number of cases to increase initially as more students feel comfortable coming forward. But ultimately, she expects the number to drop.
"Over the long run, we'd like to see students feel safe coming forward, and not as many needing help," Marks said.
