Program Overview

The Duval County Public School System has taken a comprehensive and aggressive approach to reduce the prevalence of violence and the demand for alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) among its students. The ZIP (Zeroing In On Prevention) Program is one component of the school system's Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program. The ZIP Program’s goal is to assist students in developing healthy, productive, drug and violence-free lifestyles.

The ZIP Program is designed for students in grades PreK-12 to provide instructional objectives and intervention strategies in addressing ATOD use and violence. The ZIP Program, which is based on a "NO USE" philosophy, consists of five components: prevention, intervention, support services, community involvement, and evaluation. The ZIP Program addresses Goal 5 of the Florida System of School Improvement and Accountability: School Safety and Environment - Communities provide an environment that is drug-free and protects students’ health, safety, and civil rights. In addition, the ZIP Program provides an avenue through which the first priority of the Superintendent’s “High Five”, Safe Schools, can be achieved.

The major portion of the prevention component is the comprehensive PreK-12th grade health education program, which is aligned with the National Health Education Standards and the Florida Sunshine State Standards. This prevention component also includes ATOD and violence prevention objectives. This program includes instruction, application strategies, enrichment/reinforcement activities, conflict resolution/peer mediation strategies, and parent involvement activities. A prevention resource teacher works with teachers to improve their skills in working with high-risk students.

At the base of the intervention component is the ZIP Team at each school. Each school has a ZIP Team composed of administrators, teachers, students, parents, community members, and business partners. This team participates in a training program and then develops an Action Plan for their school. The Action Plan is designed to address the key data elements as reflected on the School Environmental Safety Incident Report (SESIR) and other data elements as determined by needs assessed at each school. Throughout the year, inservices are held to train and update the ZIP Teams from each school. The schools implement a variety of substance use/violence prevention activities during Red Ribbon Week, Week Without Violence, and Victory Over Violence

Another intervention component consists of a cadre of ZIP counselors who have an ATOD counseling background. These counselors work at the middle/high school levels with at-risk students, and with those returning from alternative schools/programs or treatment centers. Students self-report or are referred to the ZIP Counselor by teachers, administrators, parents and peers. The counselors conduct individual and group counseling sessions, staff and parent inservices, and monthly meetings with the ZIP teams from area schools.

Support services are provided through a variety of programs within the individual schools and the school system. These programs include Student ZIP Clubs, Guidance Services, School Health Services, the Night-Time Substance Use Prevention Counseling Education Program, ZIP Parent Awareness Programs, D-FY-INCE, etc.

Many community agencies and organizations work collaboratively with the ZIP Program. The Health Education Advisory Council, consisting of community representatives, provides input regarding program planning, implementation, and assessment. The ZIP Program focuses on the use and availability of drugs, which is one of Jacksonville’s risk factors identified by the Comprehensive Strategy Task Force on Serious, Violent and Chronic Juvenile Offenders. The School System has also published several resources pertaining to substance use and violence prevention/intervention that are available to parents, teachers, administrators, and the community.

Evaluation is an ongoing process. Each year, The Duval Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs, and Violence Survey: Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors, is administered to all sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders. A Research Project is being conducted on the ZIP Counseling Program. The schools evaluate their ZIP Action Plan as to whether the measurable outcomes have been achieved. Our school district also participates in the Florida Youth Survey, which consists of the Communities That Care Youth Survey, the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This is conducted through a collaborative effort of Florida Departments of Education, Health, Children and Families, Juvenile Justice, and the Office of Drug Control.

All ZIP Program activities are designed to target risk factors and enhance protective factors; thereby, increasing each student’s ability to reach his/her optimal level of achievement. .