Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District staff outline student mental‑health supports, staffing and MTSS tiers
Summary
Counseling staff described the district’s multi‑tiered social‑emotional supports, the roles of attendance teachers, SACs, SEL specialists, psychologists and the McKinney‑Vento liaison, and reported counts of students served and home visits.
District counseling and mental‑health staff outlined Valley Central’s network of supports for students, describing prevention, intervention and mandated services and how the district uses tiered MTSS structures to allocate resources.
Why it matters: Trustees heard that student needs extend beyond classroom instruction and that the district has multiple staff categories — attendance teachers, student assistant counselors (SACs), SEL specialists, behavioral interventionists, psychologists and a McKinney‑Vento liaison — who together address attendance, crisis response, group and individual counseling and referrals to outside care.
Key points - Staffing and roles: Presenters listed the functions and certifications of different staff: attendance teachers, SACs (can be social workers or guidance‑certified), SEL specialists, psychologists and a district ADAC prevention specialist who provides programming and individual services. The McKinney‑Vento liaison manages tutoring, transportation and pantry services for homeless students. - Service volumes: Presenters described prior‑year caseloads and service numbers (e.g., hundreds of mandated counseling sessions were reported under IEPs and 504 plans; the McKinney‑Vento liaison reported 91 students identified this year and dozens served by the pantry/tutoring programs). Staff said these figures do not include crisis contacts and ad hoc interventions. - MTSS tiers: The district frames work in three tiers: universal prevention (classroom lessons and schoolwide PD), targeted intervention (small groups and short‑term counseling) and intensive/mandated services (IEP‑ or 504‑based supports, ALC, or external placements). Staff described typical group lengths and the frequency of Tier‑3 sessions when needed.
Ending Administrators said they will convene a district SEL committee and refine MTSS referral processes; the board asked for data that will help track outcomes and measure whether interventions change behavior or academic performance over time.
