Schools consistently and directly touch the lives of many residents. This paper offers a summary of points on how schools can become a neighborhood locus for family-centered and comprehensive services, which will aid in the establishment of safe, disciplined, and drug- and alcohol-free schools and communities. Schools and educators should shift their efforts from fragmented, often inadequate supports and services, to collaborative and comprehensive strategies that emphasize development, opportunities, and prevention. Schools must be made safe and even though the role of pupil personnel services is not and should not be that of policing, they must nevertheless be prepared to meet young people's increasing needs for safety. Reviewed here is recent or pending legislation that encourages comprehensive strategies for serving children and families: the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994; Goals 2000; the Improving American Schools Act; the President's Directive on Gun Free Schools; the School to Work Opportunities Act; the Empowerment/Zone/ Enterprise Community Initiative; the Family Preservation and Support Program; Youthbuild; and Head Start. (RJM)