Orange County Department of Education staff briefed the board on the rollout of Heads Up Check Up, a mental‑health and needs screening tool to be administered to students as they enroll in ACCESS programs. Staff said the screener aims to identify academic, social and mental‑health needs early and connect students with supports through ACCESS’ multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS).

Key details from the presentation: Dr. Hulan (implementation lead) said the rollout began about four months earlier and staff found the initial rollout “lacked a little bit of clarity,” so the team is reissuing the initiative with active parental consent at enrollment. Amy Smith, mental‑health manager at ACCESS, described plans for site‑level implementation, including administering the screener during September–October and again in the third quarter for ongoing students. Principal Eric Bagger (Area 10 ACCESS) described using the screener at enrollment for a population with rolling, year‑round enrollment; Area 10 plans to screen at least in the first and third quarters and to convene monthly MTSS meetings to review results and adjust supports.

Response and supports: Staff said mental‑health teams will be available to respond immediately when students’ answers indicate risk, and ACCESS is coordinating with juvenile‑justice partners and National Guard programs to align screening and responses. Dr. Hulan also said the OCDE is collecting active consent from parents and will use back‑to‑school events and intervention meetings to reach families who do not complete the screener online.

Why it matters: The screener is intended to identify needs early for ACCESS’ high‑needs student population and to route students into interventions or higher levels of care more quickly. Board members heard that the rollout will be site‑specific and coordinated with existing MTSS structures and partners.

Follow up: Staff will continue implementation, provide updates to the board on timing and response protocols, and monitor the effect of the screener during Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month (September) and beyond.