Calabasas : Grants Sought to Aid Troubled Students

Teachers tried everything to help the 7-year-old control her temper, including punishing her when she was bad and rewarding her when she was good. They even tried sending her to counseling.

But nothing worked. Finally, in frustration, they gave up.

The all-too-familiar story demonstrates the need for a more structured approach to dealing with such youngsters, say Las Virgenes Unified School District officials, who hope to establish a special program to help troubled children.

The district will apply for $50,000 in private grants to organize a team to help troubled children find acceptable alternatives to antisocial behavior.

The 500-student Bay Laurel Elementary School in Calabasas was chosen for a pilot program, officials said. It would serve about 36 at-risk kids who are not deemed a threat to others.

“This is not psychotherapy,” said Bay Laurel Principal Martha Mutz. “The most extreme kids would be referred to other services.”

The team would consist of a project coordinator, a school psychologist, a child development specialist and a parent facilitator, officials said. The child would meet once a week with the child development specialist, who would help him or her find alternatives to aggressive behavior, officials said.

At the same time, parents would meet the specialist and the parent facilitator, who would help them improve their parenting skills.