Second Chance is a three-day early intervention education program for Arlington middle and high school students whose parents/guardians are residents of Arlington. It is specifically designed to help students in the early stages of drug or alcohol use who are caught for the first time at school or by the police in possession or under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or other illegal drugs. Parents who are concerned their teen is an “early experimenter” may voluntarily enroll their teen in the Program.
The program incorporates educational components that help students review their behavior, relationships, and knowledge to look for the links that led them to use prohibited substances. They also will learn skills to deal with peer pressure, learn about the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol, and develop an action plan to help them make healthy choices. Students who are referred by the schools who, along with their parents, successfully complete the Program will not be suspended from school based on that incident. Participation in Second Chance is an excused absence and there will be no public record of the offense.
Second Chance requires teens to attend three days of classes (24 hours), their parents/guardians to attend a three-hour parent/guardian session, and together a three-hour booster session 45 days after the initial sessions.
Second Chance partners include Arlington Public Schools; Arlington County Government—Police and Department of Human Services; Arlington Juvenile and Domestic Courts; the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families; the Arlington READY Coalition; the Partnership for a Healthier Arlington; Commonwealth’s Attorney; and Northern Virginia Family Service.
For more information:
Second Chance Website: Second Chance Arlington
Contacts:
- Alvaro Alarcon 202-644-6812 alvaro@impel.life
- information@secondchancearlington.org
Brochures:
Second Chance Brochure – English
Phone: 202-321-3369
