Press Room
ESD 112 receives grant to serve at-risk youth
ESD 112 is one of 15 recipients of a $194,000 state grant entitled, "Building Bridges Dropout Prevention, Intervention and Retrieval". Through the grant, ESD 112 will partner with Clark County middle and high schools to develop a network to increase collaboration countywide.
The grant seeks to promote partnerships among schools, families, and communities to build a comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention and retrieval system. Targeted student populations to be identified include youth in foster care, the juvenile justice system, special education and youth who have dropped out of school.
Key partners include the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Board, the Clark County Community Network, the Clark County Skills Center, and the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center. Grant partners will work to align existing dropout prevention/intervention and retrieval programs and to enhance strengths while addressing gaps in current services.
According to ESD 112's Tim Foley, the ESD 112 network will include outreach to current dropouts to help them re-engage in school.
"This conversation needs to take place within our community," said Foley. "We have various efforts to address at risk youth in place across our county, yet we still have kids falling through the cracks. This program can help change that."
The grant is effective immediately and runs through June 2009.