At last night’s meeting (Feb. 28), the Board of Trustees heard a presentation about Social-Emotional Supports in our district.
Almost a decade ago, like all California school Districts, NUSD received funding to support student Mental Health services. The money, meant for students, was largely untouched. It needed a vision, leadership, and additional staff to serve our kids.
NUSD has created a system over the past five years to identify students with social-emotional needs as quickly as possible, assess their needs, and provide whatever level of therapy and support is needed. This K-12 continuum – which serves all students, not just those in Special Education – won a statewide award for best practices last year.
Data presented to the Board of Trustees last night showed that NUSD is doing a better job than ever at identifying and assisting children in need. Over the past four years, the number of students receiving therapy has risen each year. Cumulatively, the total has more than tripled.
In addition to this therapeutic assistance for individuals in need, NUSD schools have implemented campus-wide programs to help all students understand and manage emotions, show empathy for others, maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions. These programs designed to enhance school cultures and improve behavior among all students include Responsive Classroom, Improve Your Tomorrow, Restorative Justice, and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
“Every child matters,” Asst. Supt. Carol Swanson said. “Through caring and committed staff, we are working to create a culture where every student succeeds, regardless of their story.”
Over the past five years, NUSD has:
· Launched Social-Emotional Support (SES) classes for grades TK-12, mindful of returning students to general education classes, with support, once they can succeed there. In addition, the SES class for TK-6 grades, which was initiated by the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), serves all students, not just students with disabilities.
· Implemented an anonymous system for reporting students with severe social-emotional needs at any time of the day or night.
· Created a crisis response time to provide counseling or intervention in emergency situations
· Hired numerous mental health and student support staff, including psychologists and behavior specialists. It also implemented an internship program for psychologists, social workers and Marriage and Family Therapists.
· Provided a psychologist for each NUSD campus through the LCAP.
· Launched numerous programs at schools designed to enhance school cultures and improve behavior among all students
Assistant Supt. Swanson said the goal is continuous improvement and more work remains to be done, but growth in NUSD’s social and emotional supports has been dramatic the past five years.
Confidential referrals for social-emotional supports can be filed online, at any time, and NUSD responds to reports of troubled youth made by telephone on weekdays or, in emergency situations, at night or on weekends.
If you are aware of a student who may need social-emotional support, you can always discuss concerns with the principal at your student’s school, or you’re welcome to call Constituent and Customer Services at (916) 561-5253. Confidential online referral forms for social-emotional support are available here, and incidents of bullying can be reported here. Let’s continue working together to prepare all students for college and career.
