Cumberland County Schools officials on a district Family Academy livestream introduced Alongside, a mental‑health platform available to middle and high school students that pairs an AI chatbot and wellness tools with a process that escalates serious safety concerns to school staff.

The platform is intended to give students confidential, on‑demand support. "Today, I want to highlight one of our most valuable programs, Alongside," said Dr. Natasha Scott, Executive Director of Student Services. The app allows students to "chat with Kiwi or another AI chatbot to navigate daily challenges," watch short videos, track sleep and activity, and message their school care team.

Why it matters: district staff said Alongside supplements existing student support services — counselors, social workers and psychologists — by offering low‑barrier access to guidance outside scheduled sessions. Dr. Scott emphasized that the system is not a substitute for crisis intervention: "if a student is experiencing a severe issue such as suicide, self harm, or child abuse, the concern is escalated to a CCS employee who will look into the matter and contact the student's parent or caregiver. Our priority is to keep students safe."

How it works: district staff said the app is free for students and requires parent permission. Kiwi and other chatbot features are staffed on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the school year, while weekend features such as videos and journaling are available for students to use independently. Students can also send messages through the platform to their school's care team — described in the session as the principal, counselor and social worker.

Clarifications and next steps: Dr. Scott and host Lindsey Whitley directed families with sign‑up questions to contact their child's school counselor or social worker and to visit the Cumberland County Schools website for more information. The district framed Alongside as part of a broader mental‑health continuum that still includes in‑person counseling and linkage to community resources.

Local context: officials described Alongside as districtwide for middle and high school students; the session did not specify which vendor contracts, data‑privacy provisions or the precise parent consent form language would be used. Those details were not specified during the presentation.

Ending: Families seeking help with enrollment or questions were instructed to contact their school counselor or social worker and to consult the CCS website for details.