Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Wellness And Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Olentangy rolls out mental‑health metrics, in‑house prevention and JED Foundation partnership
Summary
District wellness leaders reported improved Pediatric Symptom Checklist scores and high satisfaction survey responses; they described bringing many mental‑health services in house, summer prevention groups, PBIS recognition across schools and a two‑year partnership with JED Foundation/ASSA for strategic planning.
Dr. Barrons (wellness) and Dr. Branson presented the district’s wellness strategic direction at the Aug. 27 Olentangy Local Board meeting, describing a rebranded Department of Wellness that covers student and staff physical, emotional, environmental, social and intellectual well‑being.
Samantha Norman summarized outcome measures: the district began using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist as an effectiveness measure in January and reported that average scores declined between the first and last quarter of the prior school year — indicating improvement in student functioning — on both parent and student self‑report. Norman also said nearly all satisfaction survey responses from families and older students were "agree" or "strongly agree." "We started this at the end of second quarter last year...and we took it again quarter 3 and then quarter 4," she said of the measurement cycle.
Wellness staff said the district moved several services from outside contractors to district hires, producing cost savings while expanding programming. The team described summer in‑house social‑emotional prevention groups that drew high demand, an OSU Coach Beyond leadership program with 75 participants, and in‑house Signs of Suicide programming to meet House Bill 123 requirements.
Peter Stern, who leads student and staff experience, described climate survey results showing students generally feel challenged and that they belong; Stern said the district will expand student interest‑driven opportunities, run a census of clubs across buildings, and pilot peer mediation programs as earlier tier‑1 supports.
District leaders said they will continue a two‑year collaboration with the JED Foundation and the American Superintendents Association District Mental Health Initiative to collect data and identify gaps in mental‑health access and supports.
Next steps: continue quarterly measurement with the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, use JED/ASSA data to prioritize targeted supports for specific student populations, and report back to the board as strategic work proceeds.
