Lyons Township highlights expanded student services, signs-of‑suicide screening and College/Career tracking

Lyons Township High School District 204 presented a wide-ranging update on Goal 2 of its strategic plan — learning environment and supports — during a board meeting, emphasizing expanded student‑services staffing, a newly administered Signs of Suicide (SOS) screener for the sophomore class and stronger college‑and‑career data tracking.

The presentation, led by Dr. Owens as the Goal 2 champion and presented with staff from student services, described increased staffing that reduced caseloads for counselors and social workers and allowed the district to move from reactive crisis work to proactive supports. "Lower case loads of students allows for our team members to offer additional supports and programs for students who show they need more support," a student‑services presenter said.

District staff described the SOS rollout this fall. The district partnered with Alyssa's Mission to deliver an evidence‑based SOS lesson followed immediately by a universal screener. The lessons were delivered by health and PE teachers; school counselors and social workers scored screeners on the spot and followed up the same day according to risk level. Of an enrollment of 861 in the class of 2027, staff reported 771 students participated in the lesson and screener; 59 students required follow‑up assessments and 40 of those were referred for additional services (33 of the 40 were referred to additional in‑district services).

Kate Waggamuth, identified in the meeting as assistant division chair and 504 coordinator, described the program: "SOS...teaches students about signs of suicide. It also helps us identify students." She and others stressed that the screener must be scored immediately and that follow‑up happens before students leave school that day. Parents could opt students out; staff said a small number of students were opted out or absent and only two students declined the screener at administration.

Staff said most follow‑ups were for needs already partly known to counselors and social workers; the team identified one student as an imminent risk who received emergency assessment and care after school‑based follow‑up and family contact.

Board members asked how families are notified. Staff described standard confidentiality limits and the practice of informing families when a student's answers indicate safety risk. "As soon as the student starts working with you, you say...if you ever talk about hurting yourself or others then that's something that I would not be able to keep," a counselor explained.

Beyond SOS, presenters described several other elements of the student‑services strategy: - Smaller caseloads: School social worker caseloads were reduced from about 950 to roughly 500, and counselor caseloads dropped by about 70 students per grade, staff said, allowing earlier interventions. - Tier‑2 supports and SST meetings: Weekly 90‑minute Student Support Team (SST) meetings include assistant principals, counselors, social workers, nurses and a tapestry advocate; teams use data to identify students for targeted, evidence‑based small groups (executive functioning, skills for student success, restorative circles, etc.). One counselor described a Latino student circle that grew from an eight‑person pilot to regular meetings of 20–24 students and added postsecondary planning and campus visits. - School Links and college/career tracking: The district reported adopting School Links to onboard students earlier (freshman year) and to track milestones and participation in college‑application activities. Presenters said 70% of seniors had submitted at least one college application as of the meeting and that the district now records student attendance at college‑prep sessions, one‑on‑one meetings and application completion to target outreach.

Student‑services leaders said the work depends on partnerships, new hires (including a bilingual coordinator and additional teachers), and continuing professional development with external experts. The presenters emphasized that data collection alone is not the end goal: teams must turn data into action. "Pick 1 thing. Start small," a student‑services leader said describing the district's rollout approach.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; staff said they will continue the work and return with metrics and next steps.

Looking ahead, staff said they plan to deliver SOS to seniors in spring and to continue scaling tier‑2 supports, School Links adoption and targeted college‑and‑career supports.