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Mentors Care program reports declines in behavioral and wellness indicators at Red Oak High School
Summary
Mentors Care staff reported decreases in disciplinary and wellness indicators and said the high school site has strong mentor participation and volunteer hours; a student described program benefits in her own words.
Jessica Roberts, Mentor's Care area coordinator, and Crystal Dozier, the Mentor's Care coordinator at Red Oak High School, told the board the districtwide Mentors Care program is showing measurable reductions in behavioral and wellness indicators and steady volunteer engagement.
Roberts said the program's districtwide metrics (covering roughly 1,000 students across 21 campuses) showed a 54% overall decrease in tracked risk indicators, including a 48% decrease in self-harm indicators, a 38% decrease in bullying, a 37% decrease in behavioral incidents (referrals to ISS/DAEP and similar), a 36% decrease in drug- and alcohol-related indicators, and a 35% decrease in students reporting social struggles.
Dozier introduced an 11th-grade student, Havana, who described how Mentor's Care gave her a trusted adult and helped her gain confidence: "Having a connection with a mentor who encourages me to push myself to be better ... has helped me become more secure in my decisions and life choices." The student said the program provides a safe environment and ongoing support.
For Red Oak High School specifically, Dozier said the first semester of the current year produced 48 new referrals and a current caseload of 56 students, matched with 56 mentors; the program logged 498 volunteer hours in the first semester and recorded a 65% mentor retention rate at the site. Dozier reported that 15 seniors in the program are on track to graduate and that previously reported graduates in prior years were college-, military- or workforce-bound.
Board members and community volunteers praised the program during comments, and several trustees urged more community mentoring participation. One trustee said, "If you're not mentoring, shame on you," reflecting the board-level endorsements that followed the program presentation.
Roberts and Dozier also described referral pathways to community partners for food, clothing and counseling needs and listed partner organizations the program uses when students require services beyond school resources.
