43
Mahoning juvy court gets 1 of 4 US grants to keep kids in school, deter gangs
By DENISE DICK
BOARDMAN — Mahoning County Juvenile Court secured a three-year, $600,000 federal grant to keep students in school by identifying those at risk for joining gangs and intervening before that happens.
The court is one of only four in the country to receive the School Justice Collaboration Program: Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
The award was announced Wednesday at the Mahoning County Educational Service Center.
Judge Theresa Dellick said the court tries to be proactive in dealing with youths in the community, but court officials thought prospects for receiving the grant were “a long shot” because so few are awarded.
“This shows two things — that we have high crime, high poverty and low education in our community, but also that the federal government has the confidence in our community to tackle the problem,” the judge said.
The other grant recipients were courts in Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
A goal of the program is to enhance cooperation among schools, law enforcement, juvenile justice officials and mental and behavioral health specialists to help students succeed in school and prevent negative youth activity in the community.
Through the grant, the court will address gang activity, attempting to stop it before it starts at four schools.
“Gang activity is more on the rise, and we know it spreads,” Judge Dellick said.
The grant will be used to begin a moderate-to-high risk anti-gang program at Mahoning County High School.
MCHS is a school for students who have dropped out of their home schools, are on the verge of dropping out, have been expelled or have had dealings with Mahoning County Juvenile Court.
It’s a community school that’s sponsored by the Mahoning County Educational Service Center and is a collaboration with the court.
At Austintown, Struthers and Boardman schools, low-to-moderate risk anti-gang programs will be established.
Facilitators for the program will be gender-based as school districts have seen an increase in gang activity among girls.
Struthers Superintendent Joseph Nohra said his district, similar to the rest of the region, has seen an increase in gang activity and the district wants to be proactive.
“In the city of Struthers, it’s really bad,” he said.
It’s a growing problem with girls, Nohra said.
Laura Lonardo, who leads the juvenile court’s girls’ program, said the girls are looking for a place to belong and get involved with gang activity through their boyfriends.
The girl groups are a subset of the male gangs, said Wes Skeels, chief probation officer at the juvenile court.