Approve the Partnership Agreement between Hillsborough County Public Schools and the State of Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice, as Part of the Safe Schools and Students Program, Grant # Q8911 (Student Services and Federal Programs Division)

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) awarded $100,000 per year to Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) for the Safe Schools and Students grant funded project, Promotion of Wellness, Empowerment and Responsibility For Girls (POWER for GIRLS), which targets delinquency prevention. The DJJ requires that partnership agreements are signed every six months of each annual project. This agreement addresses project activities occurring between January 1, 2009, and June 30, 2009.

Project activities include mentoring, counseling services, in home assessments, referral services, parent education and support services, volunteer support services, and life enhancement groups for targeted at-risk girls, ages 5 – 15. Participants reside in at-risk communities and demonstrate characteristics such as numerous disciplinary referrals and challenging family issues. Services are provided by Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is a community-based mentoring program in Hillsborough County that targets youth who are delinquent or prone to delinquency due to the prevalence of risk factors (e.g., high crime neighborhood, incarcerated parent, single-parent home, delinquency history, mental health problems, poverty, poor peer and familial relationships, school problems, etc.). BBBS works with DJJ, the school system, law enforcement, the courts, diversion programs, and other social service agencies to target high-risk segments of at-risk populations.

* Increase promotion rates at all grade levels and the percentage of high school graduates, * Motivate students to become responsible learners, * Promote a culture of safety, which is free from harassment, bullying, and aggression

Funding for Project POWER for GIRLS is provided by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Safe Schools and Students Program (Grant # Q8911). HCPS is the fiscal agent for the project and funds reside with the District.

Under the terms of the grant, HCPS is responsible for facilitating the project evaluation. HCPS and BBBS will coordinate the collection of assessment data to the outside evaluator for the grant. The outside evaluator will provide a copy of the annual evaluation report to HCPS’s office of Assessment and Accountability. The anticipated date for project evaluation for the 2008/2009 school year is September 30, 2009.