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Board hears staffing and program options as district seeks more tier‑2 mental‑health supports
Summary
Board members and staff identified a gap in tier‑2 social‑emotional supports across buildings, discussed sharing a Keystone social‑work position or hiring a district social worker, and proposed visiting districts with strong models and refreshing MTSS training.
Jefferson West board members and administrators used a substantial portion of the meeting to discuss mental‑health supports across the district and the limits of existing counseling capacity. Staff and board members said counselors are often occupied responding to crisis situations and that the district lacks consistent tier‑2 small‑group programming that intervenes before issues escalate to tier‑3 crisis response.
"Kids get into a crisis situation. Right now we're just putting out fires all the time because of crisis situations and we're missing that tier‑2 level for mental health," one presenter said, summarizing the district's gap. Board members and staff discussed options including sharing a Keystone social‑work position, hiring a dedicated social worker to provide small‑group interventions, or touring other districts that run successful tiered SEL programs.
The group proposed refresher MTSS training so general‑education teachers can use preventive strategies before escalation, and noted CharacterStrong (the district's SEL curriculum) is a tier‑1 strategy that is difficult to schedule consistently in elementary and middle‑school days. Board members asked staff to share meeting notes and the final gap analysis, and staff said they will circulate the materials and return with potential implementation plans.
No formal hiring decision was made; board members asked that the district identify specific role descriptions, time‑allocation estimates and funding sources before a personnel request is placed on a future agenda.
