Acton-Boxborough adopts districtwide Second Step SEL curriculum; survey shows mixed trends in student wellbeing

At a school committee meeting, Heather Stauch, coordinator of social emotional learning and mental and behavioral health for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, described a district rollout of the Second Step preK–12 curriculum, the introduction of the DESSA screening tool for elementary students, and the latest local results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).

The presentation summarized positive, statistically significant shifts in several protective indicators since the district's 2022 YRBS cycle, and also flagged areas for attention: higher self‑reported bullying among sixth graders, elevated social‑media use among some middle‑school students, and increased reporting of access to pornographic material (a question the presenter said was reworded this cycle). Stauch said the district participates in an Emerson consortium of 10 districts for the YRBS and that the survey is administered to students in grades 6, 8 and 9–12.

Stauch said the district began implementing the Second Step curriculum this year “as a preK to 12 curriculum,” describing it as an evidence‑based program intended to teach social‑emotional skills and support a more positive school environment. She described the DESSA screener (identified in presentation materials as a strengths‑based, CASEL‑aligned screening tool) as a first‑year, K–6 effort to support data‑driven, tiered SEL interventions at school, classroom and student levels.

On mental‑health services, Stauch briefed the committee on Cartwheel Care, a contracted provider the district uses to connect students and families with outpatient and therapeutic services. She said that, as of Dec. 1 (data pulled for the presentation), the district had made 57 approved referrals to Cartwheel Care, with a 72% conversion rate from approved referral to care. Stauch said students who accessed individual therapy averaged about 13 sessions; roughly 60% of referrals were elementary students, 30% were high‑school referrals and 10% were junior‑high referrals. She told the committee the program’s most common referral reasons were anxiety and self‑esteem concerns, and that the district’s highest referral rates by grade were grades 5, 7 and 9.

Student representative Nikhil addressed the committee earlier in the meeting, urging the district to provide mandatory transition workshops at the end of eighth grade or the start of ninth grade to improve students’ time‑management and organizational skills. “I do not think the school adequately prepared us,” Nikhil said, describing peers’ difficulties adjusting to increased academic rigor and greater independence in high school. Committee members and staff discussed using advisory and the new SEL curriculum to address transition skills and noted plans for further student engagement through a new Student‑Superintendent‑School‑Committee advisory council.

Committee members asked detailed questions about Cartwheel Care referrals, YRBS question wording and how the district could use YRBS and DESSA results to target interventions. Stauch said the Emerson consortium sets survey questions collectively; the district can ask to drop items but cannot unilaterally change consortium questions. She said the district will track how new bullying‑prevention lessons and other SEL efforts show up in the next survey cycle.

The presentation concluded with next steps: continuing Second Step implementation with professional development, expanding data use for tiered supports, extending DESSA‑based decision making, continuing the Cartwheel Care partnership and expanding suicide‑screening at the secondary level. Committee members who asked questions included school committee members Vikram, Leila, Ben and others.

“The work is moving toward more proactive, instructional practice rather than reactive supports,” Stauch told the committee, adding that the district will use YRBS, DESSA and other climate surveys to track trends and adjust plans.

Provenance: topicintro and topfinish transcript excerpts are attached below.