Lansing district shifts grant-funded mental-health work to proactive SEL model after student conference

Lansing Public School District officials told the board on March 13 that the district is shifting Year 3 of a federal TEAMS grant from restorative-practices programming toward a proactive social‑emotional learning (SEL) model called Foundations for Success, and that the district held a pilot student mental‑health conference in December.

Christina Rios, director of mental health for the Lansing Public School District, said administrators nominated 90 students for the December conference and 49 attended. "They all got a swag bag of sorts just as if they were going to a conference that adults would go and attend," Rios said, describing the program content and student feedback.

The district presented the conference results and program changes to the full board after a brief COVID update from Dr. Sue Wheeler of the Department of Health and Wellness. Wheeler reported February counts of 32 student COVID cases and 13 staff cases, and noted the district is distributing take‑home tests ahead of spring break. "By doing the strategies for COVID, we are helping with the other" respiratory illnesses, Wheeler added when trustees asked about influenza and other disease trends.

Nut graf: The shift matters because the grant funds clinicians and training currently used for mostly reactive restorative work; staff said moving to a tiered SEL curriculum aims to reduce behavior incidents before they occur and to provide measurable objectives for students. The district also plans to add clinicians and a clinical specialist this year to…