Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines school counseling expansion, community partnerships and rollout of School Links planning tool
Summary
District officials gave a report on districtwide school counseling initiatives, stronger community and faith‑based partnerships, and plans to implement School Links (required by state law) in 2025–26; Davis High School highlighted weekly faith‑based presence that staff said supports student engagement and wellbeing.
District student‑services staff on April 15 updated the Yakima School Board on efforts to strengthen school counseling programs, expand community partnerships and prepare for statewide post‑secondary planning requirements.
Executive Director Omar Santoy and colleagues described two core counseling initiatives: building professional learning teams to align counseling practice and expanding supports for the whole student, with an emphasis on mental‑health connections and family engagement. “We are proud of the relationships that we've built and that we continue to build with our community,” Santoy said during the presentation.
Presenters described local partnerships with about 30 businesses and multiple professional agencies, including the regional ESD 105 and organizations that provide mental and physical health services, homelessness and food‑security support. The report singled out faith‑based partners at Davis High School for daily, consistent presence and student outreach; Davis Principal Dr. Heather Hastie (Hastie Yullery in the transcript) described volunteers who greet students at arrival and support activities such as tutoring, dances and guest talks. “If you ever come to our building in the mornings, Donnie is out there greeting kids every day and, like, without fail,” she said.
District staff also outlined implementation of School Links, the state’s universal high‑school “high school and beyond” plan platform established under House Bill 5243. Counselors will use the platform for career pathway exploration, graduation‑requirement tracking and college‑readiness planning; staff plan full rollout in the 2025–26 school year and ongoing counselor training. The district also described strengthening dual‑credit partnerships with Central Washington University to clarify distinctions among College in the High School, Running Start, AP and IB, and to address eligibility and cost questions for families.
At the elementary level, district counselors are building professional learning communities and conducting needs assessments to guide social‑emotional learning (SEL). Staff said counselors focus on tiered supports: teachers deliver universal, Tier 1 SEL through classroom instruction while counselors provide Tier 2 small‑group and Tier 3 individual interventions, and they referenced OSPI social‑emotional standards as guidance for those efforts.
Board members asked about delivery methods and tiered intervention structures; staff said counseling supports would begin as early as grades 7–8 for pathway exploration and use advisory classes, counselor meetings and School Links planning tools at the secondary level.
Ending note: The board thanked staff for the presentation and noted a statewide recognition and upcoming presentation where Davis staff will share the district’s faith‑based partnership work. Administrators said they would return with implementation updates, counselor action plans and dual‑credit participation numbers for board review.
