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Board hears Hope Squad presentation proposing peer‑support program for elementary and middle schools
Summary
District social workers and a Beacon prevention specialist presented the Hope Squad peer-to-peer program to the board as an age‑appropriate model for building student leadership, kindness and a pathway to escalate concerning conversations to adults; no vote was held.
Kearney School District staff presented Hope Squad, a peer‑to‑peer student leadership model focused on kindness and early identification of students who may need adult support. Amanda Textor, a district social worker, and Sherry Miller, youth prevention supervisor with Beacon Community Mental Health Center, described the program and answered board questions; the board did not vote on implementation at the meeting.
Textor said the district is considering starting Hope Squad at the elementary level with fourth- and fifth-graders and at middle school levels (sixth and seventh grades), then expanding upward over time. She described the program as student leadership centered on kindness and connectedness; at the elementary level the language used in training emphasizes inclusion and helping peers get an adult, not counseling or clinical intervention. The program model includes two adult advisors per school and requires parental consent for students who join Hope Squad.
Miller, a regional Hope Squad master trainer, described the program as evidence-based, listed on national prevention resources and already used by schools in the Northland region. Beacon would partner with the district to provide clinical referral capacity if identified students need further services; Miller said the Clay County Children's Service Fund has supported supplies and conference opportunities in other implementations and could help with start-up materials such as shirts and promotional materials.
Board members asked about advisor time commitments, how many students would be selected per grade (district-level decisions; typical programs use about 10— 15 students per grade), and how the program would affect classroom teachers. Textor and Miller said advisors would schedule meetings at times that work for individual schools; regular teachers would not have additional duties beyond awareness of the program and allowing students to meet with advisors when needed. The presentation was informational; the board asked staff to continue answering questions and return with next steps if administration pursues implementation.
