Hyde Park expands counseling, uses DESSA data to target social‑emotional supports; parent credits BRIGHT program with keeping son in school

Melissa Reeder, Hyde Park’s director of guidance, briefed the Board of Education on April 22 about the district’s counseling services, social‑emotional learning (SEL) efforts and the BRIGHT intervention program.

Reeder said the district is aligning counseling work within a multi‑tiered system of support (MTSS), is participating in a two‑year American School Counselor Association (ASCA) training program, and is using the DESSA standardized SEL screener to target interventions K–12. “We are prioritizing tier 1 and tier 2 supports through proactive and preventative strategies,” Reeder said, describing expanded classroom lessons, small groups and targeted interventions.

Reeder presented district data showing 4,381 individual student counseling visits between September and March, increased college and career readiness activities at the secondary level, and higher FAFSA and college‑application activity compared with the prior year. Reeder said the DESSA screening identified about 18% of students districtwide as “needing instruction” on SEL competencies. Reeder said the district has focused initial interventions on responsible decision making and optimistic thinking — competencies the DESSA flagged as areas for development. The district is also introducing the Second Step high‑school program at FDR in 2025–26 and has added three elementary counselors to increase tier‑1 instruction districtwide.

Reeder described the BRIGHT program (Bridal/BRITE/STAR in the transcript) as a tier‑3 reintegration program that supports students returning after mental‑health or medical hospitalizations or who need intensive behavior regulation supports. Reeder said 37 students were currently enrolled in BRIGHT, 17 had exited the program and the district had served 54 students in the model this school year. She said the program reduced hospital readmissions and described a typical participation period of about 11 weeks, although stays varied.

Parent Carrie Jacobs told the board she had a son with ASD and bipolar disorder who had experienced several hospitalizations and partial hospitalizations and credited BRIGHT staff by name for keeping her son on track to graduate on time. “Because of the BRIGHT program, my son is now scheduled to graduate on time with his twin brother in the 2025 school year,” Jacobs said. “The support that BRIGHT has given my son I directly contribute to keeping him from revisiting inpatient services.”

Board members welcomed the data and the parent testimony. One board member noted the similarity between the DESSA ‘needing instruction’ rate (about 18%) and the district’s non‑graduation rate and said the SEL work could be a lever to improve outcomes. Reeder and board members also discussed implementation details: which counselors choose specific classroom activities, how DESSA is administered (teacher ratings K–5; self‑report for grades 6–9), and the importance of protecting student confidentiality in tier‑3 supports.

Reeder also highlighted the role of school nurses in MTSS, listing daily caseloads and the nurses’ responsibilities for chronic care, medication management and crisis intervention. She thanked named nurses and staff who support counseling and the BRIGHT program. Reeder said the district would use DESSA results, counselor time analysis and additional measures to refine tiered supports and to monitor long‑term attendance and academic outcomes for BRIGHT participants.

What’s next: the board heard the update and asked follow‑up questions; Reeder said the district will continue DESSA screening and ASCA implementation, introduce Second Step at the high school in 2025–26, and monitor BRIGHT outcomes to inform MTSS planning.