Communities in Schools Gulf South

At CIS Gulf South, we work hand in hand with schools, communities, and families to surround our students with a caring network of support to help them stay in school and achieve in life. Communities In Schools® (CIS) of the Gulf South was established in 1996 as Communities In Schools of Greater New Orleans. Communities In Schools® of the Gulf South is an affiliate of Communities In Schools, a national nonprofit founded by Bill Milliken over 40 years ago. Bill came up with the idea of bringing community resources inside public schools where they are accessible, coordinated, and accountable. Bill once said: “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children." He continued, "a great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.” Following in the footsteps of Bill Milliken, a group of committed local volunteers including Margaret Wall, Claire Stahel, and the late Frances “Frankie” Wittenberg brought the national Communities In Schools model to New Orleans. Since 1996, CIS Gulf South has grown from serving students at one school to serving over 11,000 students across Louisiana. In the spring of 2018, Communities In Schools® of Greater New Orleans changed its name to Communities In Schools® of the Gulf South to reflect the growing needs of the broader community and to serve more students in our growing region. CIS Gulf South is continuing to expand and serve more students and families across Louisiana and began serving students and families in Capital Area and Acadiana.

CIS Gulf South provides three tiers of services to the students and families we work with. Tier 1 services are preventative, whereas Tier 2 and Tier 3 services are targeted to groups of students or tailored to meet individual needs. In each school we serve, CIS Gulf South provides Tier 1 services to at least 75% of the total school population. During the course of the school year, we facilitate four Tier 1 supports and our goal is to reach every student in the school at least once. Examples of Tier 1 services include: -Bringing a vision van or dental bus to school for all students to receive check-ups -Hosting Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) literacy events to encourage students to read more and provide free books -Providing suicide prevention, bullying prevention, or sexual health education to the entire school or specific grade levels Tier 2 and Tier 3 services are for students who have been identified as at higher risk for dropping out of school. At each school we serve CIS identifies the students at the highest risk and case manages these children. We case manage a minimum of 60 students or 10% of the school population, whichever number is greater. Our case-managed students receive Tier 2 and Tier 3 services including: -Supporting all homeless students and families -Providing groceries for families who are food insecure -Weekly social skills groups -Individual mental/behavioral health counseling -Crisis and behavior interventions