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Board accepts Title VI Indian Education grant and Care Solace extension; receives seclusion/restraint and MLSS updates
Summary
The board accepted a $18,395 Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant and approved a four‑year, Legacy Foundation‑funded extension of the district’s Care Solace partnership; staff also reported a decline in seclusion/restraint incidents and provided an update on the district’s multi‑level systems of support (MLSS).
The Wisconsin Rapids School Board accepted two items reported out of the district’s Educational Services committee: acceptance of a Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant for $18,395 and approval of a four‑year extension of the district’s partnership with Care Solace, funded by a Legacy Foundation grant and effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030.
Betsy Van Bridal, assistant director of pupil services, told the committee that the Title VI grant goals include improving academic achievement, increasing cultural identity awareness and enhancing parent engagement; the grant will support American Indian students with literacy initiatives, guest speakers, technology access, field trips and professional development. On the Care Solace item, Betsy said the Legacy Foundation grant will fully fund district access to Care Solace services across the district for four years.
The committee also provided two informational updates. Julie Klarek, assistant director of pupil services, presented the district’s Multi‑Level Systems of Support (MLSS) framework, including universal behavior definitions, a team‑based flow chart for classifying major and minor behaviors and consistency practices intended to support transitions between buildings. The MLSS update emphasized supports for academics, social‑emotional and behavioral needs and the plan to incorporate MLSS scenarios into administrative staff meetings to promote consistent decision‑making.
Betsy also presented the district’s seclusion and physical‑restraint report. She said seclusion and physical restraint are limited to situations when a student’s behavior presents a “clear, present and imminent risk to the physical safety of the student or others” and must be the least‑restrictive feasible intervention. Training for building‑level crisis response teams increased districtwide during 2024–25; the district reported 22 incidents in 2024–25, down from 35 in 2023–24. Betsy reported 111 trained staff across buildings (89 new trainings in that year) and said administrators will monitor patterns of room clearances to guide future training and supports.
The board approved acceptance of the two grants and received the MLSS and seclusion/restraint updates; no additional board action was required on the informational items.
