District outlines trauma-informed plan under federal AWARE grant

Tara Cornett, the AWARE grant director for Rowan County, briefed the board on the district—s trauma-informed care plan funded by the federal AWARE grant.

Cornett said the five-year AWARE grant (awarded in 2023) supports a tiered approach: tier 1 implements a universal social-emotional learning curriculum across schools; tier 2 provides small-group SEL services through SEL coaches and targeted interventions; and tier 3 uses MOUs with community mental-health providers (Pathways and Mountain Comprehensive Care) to deliver school-based services. She described the district—s use of universal screeners (SABERS and MySABERS), the Cognia and BloomSight platforms for climate and relationship surveys, suicide-prevention programming delivered via Erica—s Lighthouse, youth mental health first-aid training for middle and high school staff and the development of a referral process to streamline access to outside providers.

Cornett framed trauma-informed work as a shift in approach: "The biggest thing to remember with trauma informed practices, it's not what's wrong with the kid, it's what happened to a kid," she said. She also confirmed to board members that AWARE 3 is a federal five-year grant and that AWARE plus community-school efforts have supported placement of SEL coaches in each building.

Cornett said the district has MOUs with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and noted coordination with KSP victim advocates for notifications related to trauma exposure, and that the district is recording such messages. Board members asked clarifying questions about funding sources and grant duration; Cornett said the grant is federal, spans five years, and was awarded in 2023.

The board took no separate vote on the presentation; Cornett—s briefing provided context for continued SEL and mental-health programming.