Suffolk Sheriff Replaces 20-Year-Old National School Program With Internal One

YAPHANK, NY — The Suffolk Sheriff's office has replaced the Gang Resistance Education and Training, or GREAT program, a national program, taught in schools across the county for nearly 20 years, with an internal program, the Sheriff’s Kids Improving Leadership and Life Skills, or SKILLs.

While the GREAT program served the community well, it has become outdated, with its last curriculum update in 2018, Sheriff Errol Toulon's office said.

The SKILLS program was created to strengthen connections between law enforcement and youth, empowering students to make good decisions and remain on the right path.

The 10-week curriculum, which is designed for 6th-grade students, began its launch this week in the William Floyd and Brentwood school districts.

By creating its own curriculum, the Sheriff's office will be able to continuously update it to address the evolving challenges facing today’s youth.

Developing SKILLS also allows the office to train instructors internally. In the past, training new instructors for the GREAT program required sending officers away for certification or hosting outside training sessions, costing thousands of dollars.

With the SKILLS program, new instructors can now be trained in-service, significantly reducing expenses.

Toulon said he and staffers "are excited to launch this brand new program aimed at assisting our youth in making good choices and empowering them to be leaders among their peers."

“The Sheriff’s Office has a robust presence in our school districts, and this initiative will further strengthen our relationship with the young men and women of our county," he said. "By developing this program in-house, we can keep the curriculum fresh, relevant, and inclusive of new trends.”

The SKILLS curriculum includes developing strong communication skills, learning self-respect and respect for others, and practicing positive behaviors over bullying, understanding healthy vs. unhealthy social media use, internet safety, and identifying trusted adults, as well as recognizing signs of cyberbullying and how to respond.

It also includes practicing decision-making, goal setting, and establishing personal boundaries, understanding positive and negative peer pressure, and discussing vaping, emerging trends, unintended consequences, and strategies for saying “no."

It additionally includes building active listening skills and empathy, and identifying anger triggers, as well as using calming strategies, and learning conflict resolution techniques.