Bassett Unified details districtwide SEL and mental-health supports; reports thousands of check-ins and lessons delivered

Bassett Unified School District staff presented a status update March 25 on districtwide social-emotional learning (SEL) and mental-health services, describing a multi-tiered system of on-site counselors, telehealth, community providers and a crisis response team.

Mister Salama, who led the presentation, said the district has implemented universal screening across sites and coordinated referral forms with community providers. He reported a high completion rate for a recent California Healthy Kids Survey and said district efforts include a district crisis response team that was activated at a school earlier in the year.

Salama provided data on usage and interventions. He said teachers conducted more than 2,800 well-being check-ins so far this school year, students completed 4,644 assigned SEL lessons and submitted over 15,000 journal entries. The district’s tele-mental-health partner Hazel Health served 23 students with 113 visits so far this year; Salama said 42 percent of visits took place in students’ homes and 58 percent on campus. He also said six students had been escalated to ongoing one-on-one counseling.

Salama described tiering of services: bedrock supports from school counselors and social workers, intermediate group interventions and telehealth, and tier‑3 individual therapy when required. He listed community partners involved in service delivery, including county and health-plan partners that bring clinicians on‑site to reduce transportation barriers and increase continuity of care.

On screening and strengths assessment tools, Salama said the district uses Thrively for strength assessments and well-being playlists, noting approximately 23 percent completion among third- and fourth-grade students and broader use in middle and high school. He said the district has pilots for creative well-being and a Student Behavioral Health Initiative partnership; several sites have established wellness spaces for students and staff.

A board member asked how students with special needs, displaced students and academically at‑risk students are represented in the data. Salama said the district does not share individual-identifying data with third-party partners and that more granular, site-level information could be provided to the board after staff follow-up.

The presentation also described an intern program that places supervised graduate and undergraduate interns at schools for classroom presentations, small-group work and crisis support. Salama said the district plans to continue expanding on-site services and partnerships.

Ending: The board asked staff to follow up with site-level, disaggregated data for board review and requested continued reporting on usage, referral outcomes and capacity for one-on-one care.