Davie County Schools presents five-year school-based mental health plan; board to vote in September

Davie County Schools staff on Tuesday previewed a draft five-year school-based mental health plan that implements recent state requirements and expands local screening, threat assessment and staff training; the school board will receive the plan for action at its September meeting.

The plan — developed by district student-services staff and MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports) leads — is intended to align district practice with state mandates such as House Bill 605 and session law 2019-245 and to formalize local procedures for suicide screening, threat assessment teams and ongoing staff training.

"We completed 91 screeners last year in our school district. Out of those, 28 did turn into a formal threat assessment that was completed," said Jennifer Custer, the presenter for the district’s student-services/MTSS team. "Thankfully, most of those screeners are screened out, which leads to good conversation with our parents and engagement with community supports."

Why it matters: the presentation describes how district procedures and data will guide resource requests and state reporting. District leaders said the plan will be submitted to the state after board approval and that the September meeting will include the official vote.

Key elements described by staff include: - Screening and threat assessment: a districtwide suicide screening and threat-assessment protocol implemented after recent state guidance. District staff said screening activity increased year over year and that most screeners did not escalate to formal threat assessments. - Training cadence: an initial six-hour foundational training for staff, followed by a mandatory two-hour refresher every two years. Presenters said the six-hour module is hosted in the district’s Canvas learning platform for tracking and that instructional assistants are included in the required staff training. - Data and needs assessments: the plan draws on district FAMs (facilitated assessment of MTSS) reviews, SHAPE assessments of mental-health staffing and assets, and a new RTI-Store platform to consolidate outcome and intervention data for academics, behavior and attendance. - Integration with academics and classroom practice: the draft emphasizes integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into academic lessons, providing proactive classroom strategies and planned “brain breaks” or movement activities to support student engagement. - Personnel and partnerships: presenters noted a range of community partners (including a local LME, Dragonfly House and DHHS) and a part-time social-worker position funded by a DHS grant that supplements district services.

District staff described the plan as an evolution of work begun after session law 2019-245 and the school-based mental health initiative launched in 2020. They said ongoing documentation of needs (for example, housing and food insecurity) informs state reporting and the district’s requests for additional staff and services.

"We have built a solid framework over the past five years and now are moving to refine protocols, collect outcome data and integrate SEL inside academic instruction," Custer said.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation. One member asked whether the six-hour training applies to instructional assistants; staff confirmed it does and that new hires will complete the foundational module during the school year. Presenters reiterated that the board would be asked to approve the written plan at the September meeting and that the district will then submit required documentation to the state.

The presentation materials will be provided to board members before the formal September vote, district staff said. The board did not take formal action on the plan at the August meeting; staff characterized the August item as an informational preview and a request for board questions ahead of the September approval vote.

The presentation and questions occurred during the business portion of the regular August 2025 board meeting.