Middle Island, NY - October 21st, 2014 - Longwood Central School District is pleased to announce that they have been chosen to receive a School Climate Transformation Grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Longwood is the only district on Long Island to have been selected and is one of only 71 school districts in 23 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The $1.7 million, five-year allocation is one of several federal grant programs designed to unify and address the full range of students’ social, emotional and behavioral needs.
Working in conjunction with the Longwood Board of Education’s goals and objectives set for the 2014-2015 school year, the grant will support and strengthen district-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program services, staff training in proactive behavior management techniques, cultural sensitivity training, systems management and school climate enhancements.
Ridge Elementary School Social Worker Stephanie Columbia and Charles E. Walters Elementary School Psychologist Dr. Katherine Drum crafted the grant to support and expand current positive behavior intervention systems within the district addressing Longwood’s diverse needs both within each building and the community as a whole. In keeping with the Longwood spirit of community unity, the grant will unite the seven buildings with a framework for creating a positive and safe environment for learning.
“Based on The Leader in Me, which is a program centered on Steven Covey’s habits of highly effective people, PBIS teaches children to believe in themselves,” said Assistant Superintendent for Student and Community Services Debra Winter. “The Leader in Me is an evidenced-based program designed to teach our students what it takes to be leaders in their individual lives, and also provides them with the necessary skills to grow to be responsible lifetime learning leaders who are prepared with 21st century competencies essential for student success.”