A screening of "Who Cares About Kelsey?" will be presented at 6 p.m. Oct. 28, in the auditorium of Northampton Area High School, 1619 Laubach Ave., Northampton.

The nationally-acclaimed documentary is about Kelsey Carroll, a New Hampshire high school student who overcame EBD (Emotional-Behavioral Disabilities) and went from a defiant and disruptive "problem student" to a motivated and self-confident young woman.

"We have many students like Kelsey in the Northampton Area School District," said NASD Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik.

The Northampton Area School Board and administrators viewed a five-minute preview of the film at Monday night's meeting and learned of the district's program for students with EBD.

Dr. Steven P. Kachmar, NASD supervisor of psychological services, made a PowerPoint presentation about EBD and how the district is coping with it.

The Oct. 28 program, which is free and open to the public and is to conclude at about 8 p.m., is expected to attract school officials from Northampton, Lehigh and Monroe counties. The screening was arranged by the producers of "Who Cares About Kelsey?" which was directed by Dan Habib, an Emmy-nominated director-producer.

"We have to assess students with multiple issues," Kovalchik said, in introducing Kachmar's Oct. 13 presentation.

Kachmar said that NASD's EBD program, which has been in existence for six years in district secondary schools, had been concerned mainly with special education but the emphasis is now on "evaluating the whole child."

More than 2 million young persons in the United States are said to have EBD.

"They're often difficult to see and harder to diagnose. Kids hide things," Kachmar said.

Approximately 20 percent of adolescents have a diagnosable mental health disorder, Kachmar said, with one in 10 youths in the U.S. experiencing a mental disorder severe enough to limit daily functioning in the family, school and community.

"Their difficulties are more than temporary," said Kachmar.

Among adolescents with mental health needs, 70 percent do not receive the care they need, said Kachmar, who noted that untreated mental health issues may lead to poor school performance, school dropout, strained relationships, involvement with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, substance abuse and engagement in risky sexual behavior.

"They do not respond to typical procedures," Kachmar said.

Kachmar said that post-Columbine [the Columbine High School massacre, April 20, 1999, in Columbine, Colo.], zero tolerance policies were implemented in school districts nationwide. "Zero tolerance is ineffectual," Kachmar said.

"There is little or no evidence that strict zero tolerance policies have contributed to reducing student misbehavior or improving school safety," according to Kachmar. "Studies of suspension have consistently documented that at-risk students do not change their behavior as a result of suspension."

Suspension is associated with school dropout and juvenile incarceration. Schools with higher rates of suspension and expulsion tend to have lower test scores and a less satisfactory school climate, Kachmar said.

An alternative approach, which NASD has implemented is Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS).

The NASD program is supported by a Rehabilitation, Empowerment, Natural Supports, Education and Work (RENEW) grant, obtained by Dr. Kathleen E. Ott, NASD director of curriculum and instruction director of data, grants, and special programs.

RENEW goals include high school completion, employment, post-secondary education and community inclusion.

"We focus on their strengths," Kachmar said of students with EBD. "From this process, we plan for their future."

Kachmar said that schools with PBIS programs are less reactive, aversive, dangerous and exclusionary and more engaging, responsive, preventative and productive.

"We address problems early on," said Kachmar.

Studies have found that schools with PBIS programs reduced discipline referrals up to 50 percent, reduced student vandalism, aggression and delinquency as well as alcohol, tobacco and drug use, reduced problem behavior during recess, in halls and on buses, and improved academic achievement.

"It's our responsibility to educate all students," Kovalchik said. "You do it for the student, and society in the long run."