LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Digital Health & Innovation has received a three-year, $749,968 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help reduce violent crime in and around Arkansas schools.
The project, the School Telemedicine in Arkansas for Lessons in Trauma-informed Education (STARLITE), aims to improve school security at three pilot sites in the school districts of Jasper, Lamar and Magazine. It will provide students, teachers, parents and administrators with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to and help prevent acts of violence.
“School violence nationwide has been a growing problem for many years,” Joseph Sanford, M.D, the institute’s interim director said. “The institute is eager to take part in any effort to reduce this violence and hope to demonstrate how digital technology can help train educators.”
Stanley Ellis, Ed.D., is the principal investigator for the project and is director of education for the institute.
“The goal is to address specific areas of training: preventing violence and assessing the threat to determine how best to intervene,” Ellis said. “School personnel and students will be educated on how to prevent violence against themselves and others, including anti-bullying training.”
School officials in Jasper, Lamar and Magazine will be trained in how to respond to mental health crises and how to coordinate between law enforcement and school personnel in handling threats.
The Harrison-based Seed Digging Wellness Center will provide support and training in schools for the project. Seed Digging uses an approach that blends evidence-based counseling techniques into a simple language to empower children with tools to overcome emotional and behavioral struggles and boost self-confidence. It is effective against suicidal thoughts and behaviors, violence, aggression, and other emotional and behavioral health issues and addictions.
“We are very excited to be a part of this project and to partner with UAMS and school districts in Arkansas to empower teachers and counselors with tools to help students build self-confidence and move from surviving to thriving,” Shawna Burns said.
Burns is a licensed professional counselor-supervisor and a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor-clinical supervisor with Seed Digging.
