Agawam schools outline mental-health partnership, new tiered supports and strengthened threat-assessment teams

Superintendent Martin told the Agawam School Committee on Feb. 13 that the district has begun a multi-year partnership with Boston Children's Hospital and state agencies to pilot a school‑based behavioral‑health model and expand telehealth access for students.

The district's social‑emotional learning director, De Jesus, said the pilot — funded by the state and coordinated with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health — will focus on tiered supports, building staff capacity and creating referral pathways to community resources. "When students feel welcome and connected to their school communities, they have improved mental health, improved academic outcomes and behavioral outcomes, and they're less likely to engage in high‑risk activities," De Jesus said.

The program will work through the district's multi‑tiered system of supports: universal Tier 1 services for all students, targeted Tier 2 interventions for small groups, and individualized Tier 3 supports. De Jesus said the project will pilot Tier 2 teaming and referral processes at Phelps, Cappelli and Deering this year and expand to additional schools the following year.

A central element is Boston Children's Hospital's role in evaluating current practices and helping the district develop a replicable model. The presentation named the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) as part of the effort and said the project aims to evaluate telehealth as a route to faster access to care.

De Jesus described a separate telehealth arrangement with Cartwheel that provides direct referrals from school staff, evidence‑based individual therapy for students in grades 3 and up, parent guidance for pre‑K and older, psychiatric consultation and medication management, and some family therapy. She said Cartwheel offered 75 telehealth slots this year and that the district had made 55 referrals to date.

The committee pressed staff on identification and capacity. School Committee member Mister Perry asked, "How are students identified as being in need of these services?" De Jesus said the district is working to use attendance, disciplinary data, nurse visits, academic indicators and staff referrals to identify needs earlier and to expand options including check‑in/check‑out and mentoring so students do not progress to higher levels of need.

De Jesus also said the district has enhanced its districtwide emergency response team and clarified threat‑assessment procedures after training sessions, including an FBI training last year. The threat‑assessment process, she said, is meant to identify threats, determine seriousness, implement interventions to reduce risk and monitor effectiveness.

Committee members asked about program limits and measurement. Missus Rua asked whether there is a cap under the Boston Children's partnership; De Jesus said the larger Boston Children's Hospital project is a multi‑year systems effort and that Cartwheel's telehealth slots were specifically set at 75 for the current phase. De Jesus said the Boston Children's portion includes stipend funding for staff learning and that the grant was extended for an additional two years.

Superintendent Martin and De Jesus framed the work as both immediate capacity building (telehealth slots, increased in‑school counseling through current contractors referred to in the presentation as BHN) and longer‑term systems change with an external evaluation component. No formal committee vote or policy change was taken; the presentation was informational and followed by members' questions about implementation, metrics and future training.

The district said it will continue training staff on Tier 2 teaming, refine documentation and monitoring practices, pilot the model at the three named schools this year and report back to the committee as the pilot produces data.