THE CALL CAME from Judy Hanson, Chemical Health Coordinator, Wayzata School District. Could the MPRC help the school district examine current district-wide prevention efforts, particularly the curriculum, and help determine what their schools should be doing in the future, while remaining within the guidelines of the graduation standards? A situation like this is a good example of the kinds of concentrated and in-depth assistance that some school districts and community groups require at times. The MPRC is available to provide this type of assistance.
Of course, this was Wayzata's process and the decisions were theirs to make. The MPRC staff merely served as the consultant, contributing a knowledge of specific programs' best practices and curricula, as well as providing information about what research has deemed effective.
"We were looking for someone to help guide the process, someone who could provide an objective viewpoint from outside the district. We needed someone else to hear what was being said and to help pull everything together," said Hanson.
As a result of the process, Wayzata school district adopted the Total Health Curriculum developed by Candy Crosier and staff from the Mounds View School District. Presently Wayzata is finishing a very extensive training program for all staff in the District and targeting the sixth grade as the place to begin implementation.