Support Our Students (S.O.S.) is currently an after-school program that targets at-risk youth to give them a supervised place at the end of the school day while many parents are still at work.

It may take on a whole new meaning for the students and parents of several area schools who depend it for child care and guidance, however if the program’s funding is cut as proposed in Gov. Bev Perdue’s state budget plan.

The S.O.S. Program served 72 fourth through ninth graders from Leak Street High School, Washington Street School and L.J. Bell Elementary last year.

“You have to understand that the S.O.S. Program serves primarily at-risk kids, and many of these kids are referred to us by the juvenile justice system,” Program Director Emanuel Davis said. “We offer programs to work with them on issues like juvenile delinquency, gun violence and substance abuse. Right now we’re working with them on teen pregnancy.

“Also, a lot of our kids are latch-key kids, which means nobody’s home (when they get out of school). That makes it very difficult on someone who needs somebody to watch their students.”

Monday night, the Richmond County Commissioners was scheduled to consider a resolution drafted to support the continued funding of this program, though the result of the vote was not available at press time.

S.O.S. was established in 1994 at the recommendation of then Gov. Jim Hunt, citing Governor’s Crime Commission research finding the overwhelming majority of juvenile crime occurs between 3 and 6 p.m.

The commission determined after school programming, which engaged at-risk youth in a supervised environment would lead to a reduction in juvenile delinquency.

The S.O.S. Program is also discussed on the website of the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which offers three primary reasons for this type of after school program.

For the 2008-09 fiscal year, the program received $76,500 in state funding. Davis said there are organizations in the community that contribute to the program’s fund, such as the United Way and the Leak Street Alumni Association.

“I think S.O.S. does give us a platform to address certain issues that really are problems in our county’s youth, like violence, teen pregnancy and alcohol and drug abuse, and we do that,” he said. “However, I doubt that the program could continue if we had to depend on (private contributions). We do need that money from Raleigh. Community organizations try to compliment that, but I do not believe they could keep program going (without the state funding).”

S.O.S. teacher Vanessa McIver is a veteran of the program.

“A lot of them would probably be put in the system (without this program),” she said of the students. “This is like a safe haven for them, and their parents, in the afternoon to get their school work done, and of course the other programs that we offer, but I really do feel like they wouldn’t have anything to do and end up out there participating in a lot of not constructive activities.”

Project Focus Coordinator Maurice McLaurin works with the students who are referred to the program through juvenile justice system.

“It’s something that’s very needed,” he said. “You have some kids who have come up with different backgrounds, but for the most part what we have here are kids who are missing one parent or the other. So, it’s real good to be able to come here and get help from someone outside the home.”

He also pointed out many of these kids would be at their homes with no supervision until 6 p.m. or later.

“If not, they could be on the street, and there would be no telling where they’d be,” Restitution and Community Service Assistant Annie Pratt said.

She’s worked with the students in the program for nine years.

“There are some success stories happening here,” she said. “Many of these kids would probably end up quitting school and getting in trouble, but we have kids who have come through here and gone on to college, some who are in the military. A lot of the kids will come back and volunteer their time during the summer program.”

“It’s frustrating to try to do what we can for our students facing these budget cuts, and knowing what we’re trying to do here - I find it very disconcerting for the students and parents of Richmond County,” Davis said.