Enhancing School Capacity to Address Youth Violence in the Manchester, NH School District

In collaboration with students, families, and community partners, the Manchester School District will implement violence prevention programming in all middle and high schools, and through individualized intervention, address suspensions in two schools, with a focus on disproportionate suspensions for Black and Hispanic youth. The Manchester School District is in the largest urban school district in New Hampshire and has twenty elementary, middle and high schools serving over 12,000 students with more than half the population considered to be economically disadvantaged.

The project will serve the student population by: building capacity in two selected schools to implement evidenced-based practices within the Multi-Tiered System of Support for Behavioral Health (MTSS-B) framework for individualized student intervention that operates within an intensive case management model; increasing collaboration between school and community behavioral health staff to coordinate interventions for youth, while including parents/guardians and students in the planning process for student success; and focusing on violence prevention efforts in all middle and high schools; through a digital hall pass program and the formation of Youth Councils that will lead violence prevention work. Youth Councils will align their work with the district wide mental health and safe schools campaign and the safe schools reporting form all set to launch in the Fall of 2024 to champion violence prevention efforts. The project seeks to reduce overall suspensions in the two selected schools, specifically reducing the disproportionality rate in suspensions for Black and Hispanic youth; to increase protective factors for all middle and high school students through violence prevention programming and Youth Councils; and to improve school climate and safety.