07/13/2001

Student Assistance at East Hartford H.S.

The problems and challenges facing young people today are well documented. Rates of alcohol, drug and other substance abuse, teen pregnancy, delinquency, violence, dropouts and suicide attempts are unacceptably high. At a time when young people should be realizing their potential in one of history's most prosperous societies, far too many emerge as casualties.

By the early 1990s, the community of East Hartford mirrored many of the challenges that society had begun to face. It had witnessed the emergence of gangs, an increase in violence, drug abuse and tension among racial groups. Because of the limited availability of social services and funds, these problems strained the high school's philosophy of providing a safe and supportive environment. As a result East Hartford High School developed a Student Assistance Center (SAC) under the able leadership of Ken Gwozdz, Director of the SAC, in an attempt to protect and enhance this positive learning environment.

The Student Assistance Center (SAC) helps students rise above the statistics by providing a safe and supportive environment where they may seek a variety of services. The Peer Mediation Program offers student-directed, neutral mediation to decrease conflict and violence and promote communication and resolution. Students who are referred for additional educational and emotional support are paired with one of the twenty-five faculty members of the Student Assistance Team. The Drug and Alcohol Counseling and Conflict Resolution programs tackle acute problems with individual and group counseling. Twenty selected juniors and seniors participate in Career Beginnings, a partnership program that offers mentoring and counseling on educational and career opportunities. The SAC successfully works together with the students, faculty and the community to establish and maintain a positive learning environment at East Hartford High School.

The SAC is staffed by interns from counseling, education and social work programs around Connecticut; the interns provide services under Gwozdz's supervision.

The core of the SAC is comprised of the conflict resolution and peer mediation programs. The Center's mediation services are aimed at disputes over rumors, insults and failed friendships that occur during the school day and conflicts that students have with boyfriends, girlfriends, parents, peers and siblings that happen off school grounds. Students trained in peer mediation help solve minor problems while school staff members handle more serious trouble.

The Student Assistance Center successfully works together with students, faculty and community organizations. Among these organizations are: The State Department of Children and Families (DCF), United Way, The CT Education Association, East of the River Alcohol and Substance Elimination and the CT Regional Education Council (CREC). These organization not only provide guidance and support to the Center, they also provide funding, which allows the SAC to train students, conduct workshops and pay for transportation fees.

Since the SAC's implementation in 1993, the number of students involved in the programs offered has grown from 1,000 to 12,000! This active, positive engagement of student indicates that the program is wanted and needed. Other statistical data compiled about SAC since its inception shows that the number of mediations conducted has risen from 100 in 1993 to 1,000 in 2000-01. While student enrollment has nearly doubled at East Hartford High (from 1,500 in 1992-93 to 2,200 in 2000-01), the total number of suspensions, detentions and infractions has remained about the same (2,570 in 1992-93 compared to 2,832 in 2000-01).

Without the development and implementation of the SAC, East Hartford High students and faculty would be ill equipped to manage the changes that have occurred in the community. As state before, the emergence of gangs, the increase in violence, drug abuse and racial tension are factors that could dramatically upset the social order of a school system. The SAC provides a proactive plan to maintain that social order and provides students with services that meet their needs.

The 1995 Community for Education Awards Program presented the SAC of East Hartford High with their annual Community Solutions for Education Award, the first of many accolades and awards showered on this unique and comprehensive program for student assistance at school. During my visit to the program a few weeks ago, Gwozdz told me that he has received approximately 4,000 phone calls from around the country from educators and community leaders curious about the East Hartford High SAC. Representatives from hundreds of school districts have visited East Hartford High to acquire more knowledge of the program and the reasons behind its success.

Gwozdz welcomes requests for information and urges people to visit the school personally to learn about SAC directly from him, his staff, interns and the students themselves. For information:

Phone: 860-622-5220 or write to:

Kenneth Gwozdz, Director, Student Assistance Center
East Hartford High School
869 Forbes St.
East Hartford, CT 06118

Gwozdz, Mary Maggie and Steven Edwards have co-authored a book called "Conflict Resolution: A Blueprint for Preventing School Violence." This carefully crafted book offers procedures and guidance for starting and implementing a Student Assistance Center, based on the pioneering experiences at East Hartford High School.

Supported by a comprehensive network of services for students, the SAC is a unique program providing a practical model for coping with many daunting personal and social problems that are becoming more prevalent in our schools.

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Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.