At the Nov. 22, 2022, Catasauqua Communities That Care meeting, coalition members looked at their three main focus areas and identified what current programs are in place to help address them.

The group’s primary focus areas are substance use prevention, support for resource-stressed families and the mental well-being of the students. Within those priorities, there are subfocus areas such as vaping, parental permissiveness, ease of access to alcohol, hunger, depression at the high school level and bullying.

These priorities and focus areas are informed by the Pennsylvania Youth Survey taken every two years in Catasauqua Area School District. The CTC looks at the data as reported by the students and identifies where its efforts are most needed.

Regarding substance use prevention, CASD offers the Strengthening Families Program through Valley Youth House, Life Skills training in grades 6-9 during health classes, Second Step, Project Success and more.

Amy Dymond-Jones, Catasauqua Middle School counselor and CTC coordinator, reported CMS is planning to hold vaping presentations for seventh- and eighth-grade students through the Center for Humanistic Change. These presentations are intended to inform and educate the students.

Denise Continenza, Penn State Extension educator and CTC coordinator, said it was good to be planning the vaping presentation since the PAYS data showed an increase in vaping in the district.

A number of students reported in the survey that there is a level of parental permissiveness for behaviors, such as underage drinking, in the district. There seems to be a belief that as long as the parents are there in the house and can control the amount of alcohol, it is safe for the students.

It was noted there has been a problem with getting parents to come to meetings or attend informative events in the district. Dymond-Jones said she has no problem with having programs for the students but has trouble connecting with the parents.

“I do feel this is a missing piece,” she said. “Getting parents to want to come to something is a challenge.”

“Sometimes, the parents who need the most help are the hardest to reach,” said Lois Reed, Catasauqua Community Cares Program organizer.

Dymond-Jones cited her issues filling the Strengthening Families Program, despite its proven efficacy in helping families connect to each other.

Pastor Brian Riedy, from Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, suggested piggybacking off sports seasons to get information out to parents. There are usually mandatory parent meetings for the sports teams, so it wouldn’t be difficult to share concerns or dangers with the parents then. It was also mentioned music arts and theater programs also have parent meetings.

“Connecting with the parents at places they already gather,” Continenza added, agreeing it was a good idea.

Reed reported on C3P preparations for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. C3P provides food for resource-stressed students and families over long weekends when the school is not providing lunches. She said the group recently packed and handed out 52 boxes including peanut butter, jelly, bread, pasta, fruits and more. The Life Skills class helps pack the bags and boxes.

She also said, thanks to donations, approximately 50 turkeys were given out to families in need.

Regarding the food supply, Reed noted the group was receiving virtually nothing from Second Harvest Food Bank, so C3P is purchasing everything. She also said purchasing can be a challenge due to using multiple stores to find the best prices and purchase limits.

Reed was hoping the food supply chain through Second Harvest improved before the longer Christmas break.

Additionally, C3P held a recent coat drive and was able to give out approximately 172 coats. Reed reported she still has a waiting list of people who still need coats.

The PAYS data reported high rates of depression in high school students, particularly in 10th grade. Bullying was also identified as a concern needing to be addressed.

CASD has a partnership with Salisbury Behavioral Health to provide services in the schools to help address mental health concerns for students.

CMS and Sheckler Elementary School have been offering the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Dymond-Jones reported they are working to bring the program to Catasauqua High School as well. Project Success is also offered at the middle and high schools.

Valley Youth House offers the CBITS (Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools) program at the middle and high schools and Bounce Back at Sheckler Elementary. It was reported the elementary and middle school referral numbers were solid, and the programs were running smoothly; however, the high school numbers were low. It was suggested they touch base with the high school SAP coordinator to increase awareness of the program.

Donna Tercha, a nurse at CMS and CHS, reported the high school STARS Club recently attended a youth mental health summit at ArtsQuest in Bethlehem. She said the students brought back ideas to incorporate at the school to help inform their peers. She said they also requested speakers come to talk about resiliency.

In other business, Riedy commented on the snacks in the park initiative he and his congregation members had been doing. They were setting up a table with snacks and Gatorade at Catasauqua Park and Playground, 501 American St., after school each day to connect with the students.

He noted there was talk of pausing the distribution since the weather is turning colder. Riedy reported there are fewer students spending time at the park after school.

Additionally, Riedy noted he was starting to see behavioral shifts in some of the students. Another impetus for the initiative was to have an adult presence in the area. They don’t get involved or do anything to maintain order. They simply lend their presence, which has reportedly made other students feel more comfortable in the area.

“The children are starting to police themselves,” Riedy said.

He reported noticing some students telling others to watch their language, throw out their garbage or behave better because they don’t want the snack program to end.

The next Catasauqua CTC meeting is set for 9:15 a.m. Jan. 17.