Vacaville City and School District Collaboration
School district and city government team up for student success
Vacaville Unified School District, Solano County, CA
When work began to coordinate the City of Vacaville’s Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug (ATOD) efforts, Vacaville Unified School District (VUSD) staff, Vacaville Police Department staff, and community members joined around the table to discuss and act on the challenges substance abuse has on academic success. At the outset of these discussions, the important partnership between the City of Vacaville and Vacaville Unified School District (VUSD) was evident.
The City of Vacaville and VUSD recognized the importance of this collaboration years ago, in establishing the Vacaville Police Department’s Youth Services offices at both comprehensive high schools and middle schools. After years of success, two additional offices were established at both of the district’s alternative schools. With a Police Sergeant, Diversion Officers, Master Social Workers, a Family Support Worker, a Community Services Officer, and the Program Coordinator of ATOD, school staff and students were provided access to a multitude of service and personnel.
Youth Services, known for its Multidisciplinary Diversion Team, offers juvenile offenders the opportunity to participate in a diversion program, thereby diverting them from the county’s juvenile probation system. Youth Services offers drug/alcohol and anger management groups, tobacco education and cessation classes, and counseling services provided by college interns and supervised by master social workers.
Members of the Vacaville Police Department’s Youth Services Section sit on VUSD’s Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), an inter-agency program that provides services to meet the special needs of students with school attendance and behavioral problems. In addition the Youth Services Section attends the VUSD Student Assistance Program (SAP) team, which provides focused services to students needing interventions for substance abuse, mental health, academic, emotional, or social issues.
Collaborative efforts are also seen at the City of Vacaville Youth Roundtable. Established in 1991, the Youth Roundtable is comprised of community leaders and citizens concerned about youth issues. The Youth Roundtable serves as a forum for discussions of community youth issues as well as a “think tank" for development of programs operated by city departments, VUSD, and community-based organizations. The Youth Roundtable’s mission is to promote a healthy community by supporting opportunities for youth.
These collaborative efforts were recognized in 2008, when the City of Vacaville was awarded a $75,000.00 planning grant to establish a youth coalition. The REACH Youth Coalition was founded in 2008 and consistently has 20 to 26 youth and adult members in attendance. After successfully identifying areas of concern for youth in the community, REACH has an opportunity to apply and receive additional funds to implement strategies that address these areas of concern.
The collaborative efforts of the City of Vacaville, VUSD, and community partners have been essential in meeting the needs of Vacaville youth and promoting wellness and academic success across grade levels and throughout the community.
For more information, contact Gloria Diaz, Senior Master Social Worker with the Vacaville Police Department at (707) 469-6613, gdiaz@cityofvacaville.com.