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District outlines Welcome & Wellness and community schools expansion, partners and services
Summary
Lancaster district staff described a 4x4 community school framework, partnerships delivering food, clothing and health services, and an LA County public health investment of up to $200,000 to support attendance and family engagement.
District student and family services leaders gave the board a detailed progress report on the Welcome & Wellness Center and the district’s community schools work.
Samu, the district’s executive director of student and family services, opened the update and introduced district leads. "We are establishing a comprehensive support network that directly improves our district top priority — attendance, behavior and academic performance," Samu said.
Dr. Chavez, the coordinator of community schools, said the district is building capacity through training for school liaisons, family ambassadors and counselors and by deepening partnerships with community providers. "So far this year, our community school liaisons, family ambassadors, and school counselors have participated in a wide range of trainings," Dr. Chavez said, listing culturally responsive family partnerships, case management and MTSS/PBIS frameworks.
Rose War, director of the Welcome & Wellness Center, detailed donations and partner distributions that support families, including annual toy drives, footwear donations, backpacks with supplies and a monthly distribution hub. She said Baby2Baby and others have provided diapers, wipes and school supplies; the transcript lists “about 80,000 diapers” and substantial wipes and backpacks provided through partnerships.
Brian Hook, coordinator of health services, described health partnerships operating on campus: virtual school‑based telehealth visits, mobile dental (Big Smiles) and mobile optometry (Vision to Learn), plus staff CPR training to reduce health‑related absences. He said Hazel Telehealth will continue to offer mental health telehealth services at no cost to the district for the remainder of the year.
The update also noted external funding support. The LA County Department of Public Health was reported to be investing up to $200,000 in the district through the Healthy School Program to support attendance and family engagement work.
Trustees thanked staff for the broad partnerships and asked staff to continue expanding access and outreach to families. The presentation concluded without further action; the board moved on to individual action items afterwards.
