Mandy Keyes, presenting the district’s CSIP "Learn 3" evaluation, told the Cape Girardeau School Board the district is expanding academic supports and social‑emotional services while building capacity for earlier interventions. The review highlighted counseling and social‑work data, mentoring access, and targeted efforts for students who show early risk indicators.

Keyes described a newly created GEM tool (based on the Gemini platform) developed with Jamie Russell that the district will use to suggest research‑based intervention options. "We don't put student names in any type of AI, but we can go in and say, okay, I have a first grade student that is struggling with these things ... What would be good ideas for interventions for this student," Keyes said, stressing staff will apply professional judgment rather than relying on the tool alone.

Key metrics Keyes shared included that school‑based therapists saw 73 students across the district on a regular basis last year and the district recorded 62 crisis responses; Hope Squad programming now covers three buildings. She also flagged rising referrals concentrated in eighth and ninth grades and noted gender patterns in behavior referrals (some infractions higher among males, truancy higher among females).

On services and partnerships, Keyes outlined ongoing efforts with Community Counseling Center, Great Oak Counseling, ABC Today and Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide small‑group counseling, individual therapy and mentoring. She said the district is exploring more intensive substance‑use programming and that a proposed recovery high school will be presented to the State Board on Dec. 9 and, if approved, would open in early January.

Board members asked how the district will target supports and whether mentoring and extracurricular engagement can be used to reach students at highest risk; Keyes said the district will refine placement of students into mentoring and intervention groups based on behavior and connectedness metrics. Next steps include further data review with building leadership and follow‑up conversations focused on freshman transition and targeted advisory or small‑group interventions.