Kansas Tackles the Challenges of Troubled Kids.

• Position: Brief Article

Eleven-year-old Nathaniel Abraham of Michigan, the youngest American convicted of murder as an adult, showed warning signs for years without ever receiving counseling or any other assistance. And it's kids like Nathaniel that Kansas is aiming to help before others get caught in the crossfire.

Kansas is leading the way among states that are encouraging schools to work together with community agencies and families to provide services on school property. In 1999, the Kansas Legislature allocated $500,000 for the Experimental Wraparound Kansas Project, designed to prevent school violence by identifying troubled children and providing them with mental health services through the efforts of mental health centers, schools, coordinating councils and families.

Representatives Phill P. Kline and Mike Farmer sponsored the project. The initiative was proposed as a way to help children who are showing early signs of violent behavior by connecting schools more closely to mental health providers, Farmer says. Applicants were required to design projects based on community needs, commit to working with mental health agencies and provide matching funds.

After a competitive process...