LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Digital Health & Innovation with a three-year, $1 million grant to help reduce violent crime in and around Pine Bluff schools.
The grant will fund the School Telemedicine in Arkansas for Lessons in Trauma-informed Education (STARLITE) program, which was created in 2021 to improve security at schools across Arkansas.
“We are pleased with the recognition from the Department of Justice and how STARLITE will help Arkansans in the Pine Bluff community,” said Stanley Ellis, Ed.D., principal investigator for the program and director of education for the institute. “Pine Bluff is a community with a very rich history, and this grant will allow us an opportunity to save our youth so that they can contribute to their community’s storied legacy.”
Pine Bluff is the latest school district to join the STARLITE program, which began with three pilot sites in Jasper, Lamar, and Magazine.
School officials in these districts were trained to respond to mental health crises and learn how to coordinate between law enforcement and school personnel in handling threats.
The program provides faculty, as well as students and parents, the tools that they need to accurately recognize, quickly respond to, and ultimately help prevent acts of violence.
Additionally, the award will be used to encourage more involvement from families, improve communication between families and schools, and create a comprehensive safety plan for the schools, according to Ellis.
Seed Digging Wellness Center in Harrison and the Hurricane Hype Center at New St. Hurricane Baptist Church in Pine Bluff will collaborate with the institute and school district as part of the program.
“We understand that it takes more than one entity to execute such a worthy endeavor, and that is why it is important that we work with organizations native to this community and trusted by its residents to give us a better chance of saving our youth,” Ellis said.
Seed Digging Wellness Center specializes in using counseling techniques to empower children with the tools to overcome emotional or behavioral struggles and boost self-confidence.
Meanwhile, the Hurricane Hype Center provides young people with a space to strengthen and nurture relationships through recreational, educational, social, spiritual, health, and wellness opportunities. It also includes a summer program, youth basketball leagues, after-school programs, and coding clubs.