County superintendent outlines plan for countywide student support team

Marca (introduced to the board as the county superintendent) described her outreach across districts and agencies to reestablish a county child information and school safety team created by 2019 legislation. She said the team will include school representatives, the county attorney, youth court, child protective services, the health department and police chiefs to coordinate wraparound services for students with complex needs.

"The purpose of that team is for schools to be involved but also our county attorney, youth court, child protective services, the health department, just a whole bunch of entities in our area to come together so that we can support students who may be struggling and connect them to the resources that they need," Marca said.

Marca said the model will be student‑based, focusing on two or three students at a time to provide intensive support rather than broad policy efforts. She told the board she has met most partners and hoped to have the team functioning by school year "2627" (as stated in the meeting). Marca asked schools to represent referred students—either an administrator, trustee or school counselor—when students are brought to the county team.

Why it matters: the proposed multi‑agency team is intended to streamline referrals and wraparound services for students facing truancy, health or homelessness challenges; it aims to reduce case‑by‑case fragmentation and connect students to required supports.

Next steps: Marca will continue outreach to remaining partners (noted as police chiefs) and bring the operational model back to districts for implementation details and representation agreements.