<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0KSlfO_1FDtcPww00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0KSlfO_1FDtcPww00" width="1200" height="630" >For Officer Dennis Barnett, the Fontana Leadership Intervention Program (FLIP) is rooted in the belief that struggling students should not be written off. After all, he said, there’s hope for every single one of them.“The toughest kids that I have are the best kids for me to work with,”Barnettsaid. “The ones that are having the toughest time that people have dismissed are some of the kids that have the greatest potential.”Led by the Fontana School Police Department, FLIP is an intervention program designed to help struggling middle to high school students to get back on track. FLIP features mandatory weekly tutoring to help the students keep up with their classes, along with multiple activities designed to help them develop teamwork and leadership skills. The young people also take part in various extracurricular opportunities, including taking college field trips and meeting with professionals to learn more about possible careers and other post-secondary paths. Using what Barnett described as a “semiparamilitary” structure, the students have responsibilities that they are expected to follow through on.Fontana Unified district officials said that for the 2025-26 academic year, the FLIP program contributed to a 50% reduction in tardiness during the 16- week program, while student absences decreased by 38%. According to Barnett, every student that graduates the FLIP program goes on to graduate high school and 98% of FLIP students won’t find themselves in trouble again.An intervention program in its inception, the reasons for why students are referred to FLIP can vary from academic struggles and behavioral issues to encounters with the law. Fontana School Police Chief Rich Randolph said some students can be diverted to FLIP through Youth Court rather than entering the criminal justice system. In more recent years, however, Barnett said the program has become an attractive opportunity for other students who are looking to strengthen their resumes and college applications.“I have students that are now, for example, at UCSB that came into the class because they wanted to put on their college transcripts that they’ve been involved in a leadership program,” the officer said. “It helps kids be able to really start developing themselves and see where they want to go in the future.” Whether the young person in question was referred out of necessity or chose to join proactively, he said they come out of the program as “powerful men and women that will be able to go out after graduation, with a pathway forthemselves.”While FLIP places a great deal of emphasis on helping students to repair their academic standing and finding a path for themselves, that goal is not achieved merely by making sure they study and submit their assignments on time. The program’s mentors and administrators work to establish trust with the participants and encourage them to forge bonds with one another such that the dynamic becomes much like a family, Barnett said.“I always tell them once you become our kid in FLIP, we’re your family now — and we don’t give up on family,” he said. “I think that’s a big component because some of these kids don’t have that and they’re yearning and longing for that.”Today, FLIP can accommodate up to 40 students per class, with Randolph saying the program typically graduates between 25 and 30 students each session. Two classes are held each year. Barnett said demand has continued to grow, with a waiting list forming for each class.Looking ahead, Barnett hopes to expand FLIP to reach more students while also creating additional opportunities for participants, including internships, job placement and summer activities.“I would love to see the program expand because we have a waiting list every class,” Barnett said. “There are so many more kids that we could be servicing.“There’s always hope — you’re never beyond being able to be helped.”</div></body>

Block Source: Fontana Herald News

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For Officer Dennis Barnett, the Fontana Leadership Intervention Program (FLIP) is rooted in the belief that struggling students should not be written off. After all, he said, there’s hope for every single one of them. “The toughest kids that I have are the best kids for me to work...

FLIP helps students find new path

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For Officer Dennis Barnett, the Fontana Leadership Intervention Program (FLIP) is rooted in the belief that struggling students should not be written off. 

FLIP helps students find new path

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