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Alabama Department of Education details statewide prevention, mental‑health and rapid‑response supports for schools
Summary
Department staff described expanded training, regional teams and federally funded intervention models intended to reduce classroom disruptions and improve school safety, and outlined how the state can support local districts before problems escalate.
Dr. Marilyn Lewis, who leads prevention and support for the Alabama State Department of Education, told the state school board that the department is expanding training and regional supports to help schools reduce classroom disruption and identify early signs of student mental‑health needs.
"When we look at classroom disruptions, our classrooms can look very much like what's in this PowerPoint on the screen if we don't have the appropriate supports in place," Dr. Lewis said, outlining the department's approach to prevention and intervention.
The department described several concurrent efforts: statewide rollout of Youth Mental Health First Aid and Teen Mental Health First Aid trainings; a federal SAMHSA‑funded Comprehensive Integrated Three‑Tier (CI3T) model that participating districts apply to reduce behavioral incidents; a train‑the‑trainer strategy so districts can sustain local capacity; and a cadre of seven regional staff who can respond quickly when a district requests assistance. Dr. Lewis said the department has delivered recent trainings in Wilcox County (Jan. 11) and Alexander City (Feb. 1) and scheduled additional sessions through spring for Scottsboro City, Alabama Connections Academy (Athens) and Huntsville City Schools.
Board members and department staff discussed how the state responds when districts report safety or discipline concerns. Dr. Lewis and assistant superintendent Terry Roller described a review process for district safety plans, and the department said it can recommend updates based on Alabama law and best practices. The board discussed the statutory intervention authority the state has in extreme cases, and several members urged earlier, preemptive use of state resources — including intervention steps short of taking a local board over — when evidence shows a district's safety plan is failing.
Board members pressed the department on reporting: state rules require schools and districts to file student incident reports, and department staff said they use that trend data to spot escalating problems. Dr. Lewis said the department works with districts on both prevention (training, self‑care for educators, classroom management) and response (safety coordinators, regional teams, targeted interventions). She also described a "Brickhouse Strong" book study and other administrator professional‑learning offerings intended to align district leadership around climate and discipline strategies.
The presentation emphasized both teacher support and system capacity: trainings target teachers (classroom management and mental‑health awareness), administrators (safety planning and leadership), and district staff (train‑the‑trainer models). Department staff said the regional rapid‑response team includes current school resource officers and former central‑office safety coordinators, and that team members are trained as Youth Mental Health First Aid trainers.
Board members urged the department to make the regional contacts and intervention pathway clearer to the public and local leaders so that parents, teachers and superintendents know how to request help before incidents escalate. Department leaders said they will share contact names and follow up with districts that ask for assistance.
