The Kent Police Department’s Drug Free Coalition recently was awarded an almost $50,000 grant for underage drinking prevention in the Kent School District.

The group received the STOP Act, four-year grant for $48,258 from the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Considering the 28,000-some students that the district serves, its efforts could make quite an impact.

“When you have that many people you are going to see issues, but we’re seeing steady improvement,” said Chris Loftis, director of district communications about overall safety issues in the district.

Since Edward Vargas, Kent schools superintendent, came on board there has been a shift in the district’s approach to safety and prevention, Loftis said.

The district now takes a proactive and positive approach to safety on its campuses instead of a reactionary security approach.

Now police officers are on campus proactively before issues arise, and students have the chance to see them in a positive way, Loftis said.

“Kent Drug Free Coalition has developed a strong partnership with the Kent School District at all levels, including teachers, counselors, prevention/interventionists, principals and administration,” Stacy Judd wrote in an email. Judd is the public education specialist for the Kent Police Department.

Although the coalition and the district have yet to formally meet about the grant, Judd said it will tentatively be used for three projects.

One of those projects is developing resource cards for parents of students found in possession of drugs and alcohol. The cards will inform parents about getting their child a drug and alcohol assessment, the legal process and give them resource numbers.

The coalition also hopes to work with school district counselors and teachers to get kids referred to a drug and alcohol prevention class.

“The number of prevention/interventionists has been reduced because of budget cuts, so we’re trying to fill in the gaps,” Judd said.

The last thing the group hopes to do is make information available to eighth-graders who are transitioning into high school to help them navigate through peer pressure to drugs and alcohol use, Judd said.

The school district has Kent Police Department command level personnel on its leadership team.

“It truly is a good partnership; we’ve been really pleased,” Loftis said.

In the past the coalition has supported prevention public service announcements through the Kent Police Youth Board. The board is open to middle and senior high school students from seventh to 12th grade and focuses on drug and alcohol prevention.

The coalition also supports and participates in the Game of Life Youth Conference, created by the youth board. Last year there were 250 students who participated from the Kent School District and beyond, who planned prevention projects for their school environment.

That conference created 15 projects related to everything from underage drinking to bullying.

The Kent Drug Free Coalition is chaired by City Council member Dana Ralph and has other active members from the Kent Police Department, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, Kent Parks and Recreation, the school district and Auburn Youth Resources.

It meets on the third Wednesday of every month at the Kent Police Department. For more information, contact Stacy Judd at 253-856-5883.