District details expanded mental-health supports, behavior framework and alternative programs

Scottsbluff Public Schools staff told the board the district is expanding mental-health supports and formalizing behavior-management systems as part of Strategic Priority 2: student and staff well-being.

District presenters described new hires and programs, pointed to falling suicide-risk assessment counts compared with previous years, and outlined a behavior framework, staff training and alternative-program expansions intended to keep students in school and provide earlier intervention.

Dr. Kimlin (staff presenter) introduced the strategic-priority update and framed the priority as an effort to improve coping, learning and workforce well-being across the district. Ada Walsh, the district behavior coordinator, described the districtwide use of Behavior Advantage, a web-based platform for functional behavior assessments and behavior-intervention plans; she reported about 83 students are supported in Behavior Advantage and provided a school-by-school breakdown: 29 at Bluffs Middle School (including Scottsbluff Plus), 16 at Scottsbluff High School, 15 at Lincoln Heights (including PAWS students), 7 at Longfellow, 6 at Roosevelt and 18 at Westmore.

Terry Fisher Eanes, director of mental health and a licensed mental-health practitioner who provides districtwide services, said the district has added two licensed mental-health practitioners (LMHPs) and three social-work navigator positions funded through a district grant stream and other resources. He reported a decline in suicide-risk assessments (SRAs) handled by the district this year: 20 SRAs so far this year compared with about 25 at the same point last year and previously higher counts that, historically, exceeded 80 in peak years. Eanes and other staff attributed the reduction to earlier identification, increased reporting by staff, in-school prevention and wider awareness, while cautioning the need to continue expanding supports.

Bethany Jolip, assistant principal at Westmore Elementary and a member of the district behavior team, described work to draft a comprehensive district behavior framework. The framework is intended to explain foundational behavior principles, emphasize PBIS and SEL, provide a restorative approach to prevention and response, and equip educators with evidence-based strategies. District staff said the framework is in development with stakeholder input; they expect completion in early to mid fall rather than before the next school year.

Staff discussed training initiatives including restorative practices training, Kelvin Oliver trainings for designated staff, targeted paraeducator behavior training, and planned wider use of Behavior Advantage’s professional-development video series so the district presents consistent behavior supports across buildings. The team described MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) integration for behavior as a work in progress: academic MTSS is well developed and the district is formalizing the behavioral referral and MTSS processes to ensure teams use EduCLIMBER notifications to request behavior-coach support when building-level interventions need escalation.

Programmatic supports highlighted included PAWS (elementary intensive behavior program), PTP and Scottsbluff Plus (alternative placements). District staff said PAWS has operated for 13 years and has served roughly 60 students since February 2018; program metrics discussed included an overall average daily-behavior-tracker success rate of 87% and that 86% of PAWS students reached the program’s second or third level at least once. Staff noted Lincoln Heights has integrated many PAWS students into its general student community and that most PAWS students return to general education settings for at least some portions of the school day.

The presenters listed points of pride (added LMHPs and social workers, SRAs decreased from 25 to 20 at the same point last year, expanded alternatives such as Scottsbluff Plus) and set priorities for the coming year: finish the behavior framework, expand alternative offerings, continue building-level coaching, train paraeducators, hire additional LMHPs and improve data collection to monitor results.

Board members asked about referral pathways to LMHPs, confidentiality concerns when services happen on campus, success and re-entry procedures for PAWS students, and how building-level collaboration is scheduled and sustained. Staff explained referrals come through parents, administrators, counselors or MTSS processes, require parent consent for clinical services, and occur in confidential spaces in each building; they emphasized that family sessions or off-site options can be used when appropriate and that collaboration occurs through MTSS, COPS meetings and scheduled building-level planning time.

Staff requested board support for continued hiring and funding to expand mental-health and behavior supports and said recruitment is ongoing for additional LMHP and social-work staff.