Principals report smooth school starts; district emphasizes mental health and student engagement

Principals from Brighton High School, French Road Elementary and TCMS told the Brighton Central School District Board of Education on Sept. 17 that the 2024–25 school year began smoothly and highlighted districtwide mental-health and engagement efforts.

Tom Hall, Brighton High School principal, said the freshman orientation and link-crew activities set a positive tone, and he described several initiatives to support student wellness, including a behavioral partnership with URMC that provides mental health care in school buildings. "We still have students who are getting access to mental health care right in the building, which I think is very valuable," Hall told the board.

Colleen, principal at French Road, described family engagement events such as a popsicles-with-principals event that drew roughly 300 attendees, and she summarized staff work on curriculum nights, instrumental music recruitment and bus-drill preparations. She also reported progress on gym construction and thanked PTSA and staff for support.

The TCMS principal said middle-school start-of-year work focused on five guiding priorities tied to the district blueprint: sense of belonging, cultures of thinking, behavior and discipline (including restorative practices), communication, and grading-for-equity work. The principal also noted a new Aspire program at seventh and eighth grade that, so far, has markedly improved attendance for students who were previously chronically absent.

District leaders also described staff-focused wellness supports, including an adult wellness lounge and weekly self-care suggestions for educators. The board praised the schools' start and thanked staff for their preparations as construction and capital-planning work continue elsewhere in the district.

The principals' reports will continue to be part of the board's traveling presentation series at district schools.