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Nancy T. Cross
Education Specialist II, Accountability and Federal Programs
Masters in Education, Educational Administration, Tarleton State University
B.S. Home Economics, The University of Texas at Austin |
Mrs. Cross is Education Specialist for Safe & Drug-Free Schools & Communities and Parental Involvement in the School Support Department of ESC Region 12. In this role, she provides prevention training and technical support for the districts across Region 12 to assure that students and staff are in a positive environment conducive to learning.
Mrs. Cross is in her first year with ESC Region 12 after twenty years in public education as a teacher and administrator and another twenty years working in the public sector. As an educator, she has worked with adults and other at-risk learners and with students with disabilities.
Her professional development training sessions focus on parental involvement, school safety, crisis intervention, emergency operations planning, school safety and security audits, crisis recovery, and violence, substance abuse, and suicide prevention.
Training Opportunities:
Region 12 Safe & Drug-Free
SSA
Prevention Programs
The Region 12 Safe & Drug-Free Schools Shared
Services Agreement (SSA) offers drug and violence prevention curriculum
programs to member districts at a free or reduced cost for training
and materials. The Region 12 Safe & Drug-Free Advisory Team
reviews the programs, and SSA member districts vote on which programs
they wish to implement. The implemented programs must have support
of a clear majority of SSA member districts. All programs recommended
are scientifically research-based and approved by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The following programs are supported by Region 12 Safe & Drug-Free
Schools SSA.
Elementary School
The Great
Body Shop
Middle School
All-Stars
This is a "character-in-action" program. Many schools
use character education in elementary school, but in middle school
they are faced with more real-world character application. All-Stars
prepares middle school students for the challenges they will face
through activities that teach critical thinking skills and problem-solving
skills in collaborative classroom activities. All-Stars is designed
for drug and violence prevention by making students aware of the
personal consequences of their choices, reinforcing positive behavior,
and making a public commitment to not use drugs or violence.
Project
ALERT
We have told students for years to "Just Say No!" Through
Project ALERT, we can teach students how to say "No!"
Combining classroom activities and multimedia presentations, Project
ALERT focuses on developing the resistance skills it takes for
students to stop using illegal drugs. While basic drug information
is presented, the program's emphasis is on what to do when confronted
with the peer pressure to use.
High School
Project Toward No
Drug Abuse (TND)
We know from survey research that the time at which the most students
try drugs is 9th grade. This is one of the few drug prevention
programs approved for high school, specifically 9th and 10th grade.
Classroom activities help students talk about the real pressures
they face to use drugs, and how difficult it is to stop using
drugs once a person starts. Non-threatening games and group activities
help students to examine their lives and how they want to live
individually to achieve positive goals.
Signs
of Suicide
The third leading cause of death among youth age 12-17, suicide
is the least discussed act of violence in schools. Signs of Suicide
is the only nationally approved program to address the issue by
combining awareness information with a simple screening tool.
Students learn how to identify the signs that a friend may be
thinking about suicide, and how to get help for their friend in
a non-threatening way without being a "narc." The program
only takes one class period, but it can help students for a lifetime.
Special Services:
Region 12 School Safety Audits
The School Safety Audit is an on-site review by trained, experienced ESC Region 12 professionals that will
summarize the campus strengths and weaknesses in the areas of:
-
external facilities (including portables and
athletics)
-
internal facilities (including labs, shops,
and Family & Consumer Science)
-
communications (alarms and video camera positions)
-
planning (EOPs, handbooks, drills)
-
behavior (schoolwide rules, cafeteria, dropoff/pickup)
The on-site review consists of direct observations,
as well as interviews with faculty, staff and students. The results
are compiled into a formal report and presentation with photos of examples for administrators to review. Your district
will be able to demonstrate safety success to
your community and prioritize safety improvements for your school board.
Compared to independent consultants, the Region
12 School Safety Audits are affordable. The cost
is based on our on-site training rates of $575 per consultant
per day, or $375 per consultant per half-day. The formal district
report and presentation is $375. Generally, one consultant can
conduct a safety audit of a school in one day, depending on the
campus size. Some elementary schools only require a half-day;
some high schools require two or more consultants all day. Costs
include travel and reports.
The school safety audit complies with requirements
of Texas
Senate Bill 11, as approved by the 80th Legislature
in 2007, to amend Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code. The
safety audit follows the guidance of the Texas School Safety Center
as required by Chapter 37. While every effort will be taken to
conduct a professional and quality summary of findings for each
campus, there may be circumstances or situations that could result
in an inadvertent oversight for which the Education Service Center
Region 12 is not held responsible.
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