As the nation's eleventh largest school district, Dallas Independent School District serves more than 160,000 students who come from homes where 58 different languages are spoken. Operating with a $1 billion dollar budget, DISD employs 18,613 employees including 10,000 teachers in 220 schools.
15 Jun 2001
Jenni Jennings, Executive Director of Youth and Family Centers for the Dallas Independent School District, has been invited to present a session at the XVII World Conference of the International Union of Health Promotion and Education in Paris, France, July 15-20. This international networking session and discussion group addresses the promotion of integration of mental health programs and services targeted to youth. Ms. Jennings is known nationally as a leader and innovator in the field of school-based health services. The goal of her session at the conference is to initiate a more global approach to addressing the behavioral issues and concerns of children and youth today.
A year ago, ABC Nightline with Ted Koppel aired a news story on Jennings and the district's program for students with Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD).
"Our program was noted as an exemplary school-based mental health program in the United States by Koppel," said Jennings. In addition, in 1999 the Youth and Family Centers received the Safe Passage Award from the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, and in 1997, it received the Showcase Award from the National Center for School Mental Health.
The DISD school-based mental health program focuses on family and school involvement to ensure the long-term success of students, especially in the areas of behavioral and mental health. In addition to physical and mental health services, the centers provide counseling, family activities, and youth development activities.
The district's Youth and Family Centers are centrally located at Cary Middle School, Greiner Middle School, Pinkston High School, Bryan Adams High School, Spruce High School, Seagoville High School, T. W. Browne Middle School/Justin Kimball High School campus, Long Middle School/Woodrow Wilson High School campus and at Nolan Estes Plaza.