Family-School-Community partnerships provide a foundation to leverage resources for students’ mental health needs, and are critical for establishing effective crisis response and referral systems between school and community services

The following areas shall be included in a program plan developed by a school district in response to an RFP issued by the department of education.

• 66.4(1) Identifying the need for the program. An explanation shall be provided which identifies the significant children and youth concerns that exist in the district. This explanation may include but not be limited to:

• a. High rates of child and youth problems, compared to average state rates, including school dropouts; absenteeism; teen pregnancy; teen parents; juvenile offenders; unemployment; teen suicide; mental health problems; substance use and abuse; other health problems; homelessness; and language, gender and disability barriers.

• b. Indications of poverty including such areas as the percentage of parents in the district qualifying for the economic eligibility requirements established under the federal National School Lunch and Child Nutrition Act, 42 U.S.C. Sections 1751-1760, for free or reduced price lunches, and census economic data that can be seen as a proxy for other youth concerns.

• c. Percentages of school-age children needing additional assistance to succeed in the elementary school, middle school, and high school education program and for whom appropriate services are not being provided.

• d. Comparisons of existing resources and demands for services in mental health, employment, child care, health care, in-school instructional support services and school guidance services.

• e. Identification of existing staff needs for training to improve services.

• f. Description of problems in existing arrangements to coordinate school and other service providers.

• 66.4(2) Identifying objectives. The following objectives shall be included in the program plan.

• a. The establishment of a youth services education program located in or near an elementary school, middle school or high school that integrates multiple service providers with children or youth in need of services to assist them to succeed in education programs, to complete high school and be productive workers and contributors to the community.

2. The department of education shall assist schools in accessing financial and curricular resources to implement programs stressing these character qualities. Schools are encouraged to use their existing resources to implement programs stressing these qualities. Whenever possible, the department shall develop partnerships with schools, nonprofit organizations, or an institution of higher education, or with a consortium of two or more of those entities, to design and implement character education programs that may be integrated into classroom instruction and may be carried out with other educational reforms.

It is the purpose of this chapter to provide educational, recreational, cultural, and other community services and programs through the establishment of the concept of community education with the community school serving as the center for such activity. In cooperation with other community agencies and groups, it is the purpose of the community education Act to mobilize community resources to solve identified community concerns and to promote a more efficient and expanded use of existing school buildings and equipment, to provide leadership in working with other entities, to mobilize the human and financial resources of a community, and to provide a wide range of opportunities for all socioeconomic, ethnic, and age groups. A related purpose of this chapter is to develop a sense of community in which the citizenry cooperates with the school and community agencies and groups to resolve their school and community concerns and to recognize that the schools belong to the people, and that as the entity located in every neighborhood, the schools are available for use by the community day and night, year-round or any time when the programming will not interfere with the elementary and secondary program.

The district-wide advisory council shall:

14. Cooperate with other agencies and organizations including the community colleges and institutions under the control of the state board of regents toward common goals.