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District presents spring mental-health update; emphasizes MTSS, professional learning and grants
Summary
District staff presented a spring update on mental-health and wellness initiatives including MTSS rollout, professional development on restorative practices and DBT principles, the Sources of Strength peer program, Teen Talk and wellness center activity, and several grants totaling more than $200,000 supporting training and services.
District staff delivered a detailed spring update on mental-health and wellness initiatives at the March 26 Darien Board of Education meeting, describing a multi-pronged approach that combines school-wide systems, staff professional learning, student programs and community partnerships.
The presentation, led by Dr. Dan (district mental-health staff), framed mental health as integral to learning and described steps to align practice with the district strategic plan and state accreditation standards. Key items included development of a K'12 Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) leadership committee; screening and data collection plans (academic and social-emotional measures such as AIMSweb and DESSA/DESA); and school-level MTSS self-assessments that will inform short- and long-term goals.
Professional learning highlights included district sessions on restorative practices, emotion-regulation strategies and dialectical behavior principles; a summer mental-health grant that funded targeted DBT-based training; and recent training on school refusal interventions for counselors and psychologists. The presenter noted all teachers had some exposure to restorative-practices training and 92 teachers responded to a needs survey that informed PD topics.
Student-facing programs described included Teen Talk counseling, the wellness center, and Sources of Strength, a peer-to-peer program the presenter said is linked in recent research to a 29% reduction in suicide attempts in schools using the model. The district reported improvements on recent school climate measures: higher connection to trusted adults, increased awareness of support options, and decreases in reported anxiety and depression in some metrics. The Thriving Youth survey (administered in February) will be reported out in more detail at a future meeting.
The presenter outlined several grant awards and applications: a Hope to Healing suicide-prevention grant (up to $10,000 every three years), a summer mental-health grant (originally $92,000) and a mental-health specialist grant ($126,000). He also said the district applied for an additional $10,000 summer-grant extension. Next steps include refining MTSS metrics, revising school climate and bullying policies, finalizing risk-assessment procedures, continuing professional learning, and family engagement events.
Board members asked about measurable objectives and timelines for tracking impact. The presenter recommended combining quantitative screening (attendance, nurse visits, DESSA scores) with qualitative information from advisory and student voice, and agreed to develop quarterly strategic updates tied to selected metrics. Board members also urged clearer public communication about the programs and noted the district has begun publishing stage-1 curriculum documents for high-school health education.
