District details school-based mental-health expansion, Baker Act procedures and a planned district care team

Lori Brooks and Dr. Jessica Duncan presented Lee County Schools' comprehensive school-based mental-health program on Jan. 7, tracing statutory changes since 2018, staffing and clinical procedures used when students express suicidal ideation.

Brooks outlined the evolution of state law and funding (Senate Bill 7026 and subsequent bills) that created recurring mental-health allocations and new requirements such as board-approved mental-health assistance allocation plans and annual reporting. The district uses a continuum of supports (universal prevention through intensive individualized services) and employs school counselors, social workers, psychologists and licensed mental-health professionals (LMHPs). Brooks said 57 LMHP positions are currently staffed through the mental-health assistance allocation, with distribution based on school need and acuity.

Brooks and Dr. Duncan described mandatory suicide-risk-assessment protocols: schools administer a Department of Education-approved instrument (the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale) conducted by a school mental-health professional in a conversational assessment. The district must make a "reasonable attempt" to contact a parent or guardian (phone, text, email and emergency contact) and document each attempt. When the assessment indicates clinical-level risk, staff call the Circuit 20 mobile crisis response team (Center for Progress and Excellence) to deploy clinicians for de-escalation and assessment. If Circuit 20 is unavailable, the school resource officer (SRO) is the next responder; the district is building its own district care team (Scribe Assessment Response and Education team) of licensed professionals to deploy in spring to reduce reliance on SROs for clinical assessment.

The presentation included Baker Act data for 2022-23 and 2023-24 and through Dec. 6 this school year; district staff said some increases in involuntary examinations after 2022 related to delayed mental-health effects of Hurricane Ian and the pandemic. Mobile crisis referrals and SRO-initiated involuntary examinations are the two routes by which students may be placed under an involuntary examination at school; district staff said the ultimate goal is de-escalation and connecting families to outpatient services when possible. Brooks described partnership work with Salus Care, Lee Health and the University of South Florida for screening and suicide-prevention training (SMARTs) and said the district is pursuing opportunities to certify schools in evidence-based suicide-prevention training.

Board members asked about staffing ratios, comparisons to other districts, training for guest teachers and how the district verifies outcomes for Baker Act placements; staff said some data on outcomes is protected by HIPAA when students are transported and treated by outside agencies and that increased reporting from outside agencies (law enforcement and mobile crisis) helps district outreach when incidents occur outside school.

Brooks and Duncan requested continued board support for recruitment/retention and public awareness; board members suggested a district-wide PSA to increase parental awareness of services and to bolster partnerships.