Lancaster outlines Community Schools "4x4" plan and expanded on-site health supports

Lancaster School District's coordinator for Community Schools, Dr. Arur Chavez, described progress on the district's Community Schools initiative at the board meeting, emphasizing a four-pillar "4x4" framework and efforts to make schools hubs for health and family services.

Dr. Chavez told trustees that the Community Schools vision rests on four pillars: expanded enrichment and learning opportunities; integrated student supports; collaborative leadership and practices; and active family and community engagement. She said the district has expanded partner services on campus and pointed to a jump in on-site health visits, reporting "143 total visits in August from Hazel Health the physical Health visits done here at the school sites" compared with about 60 visits in the previous year.

Chavez described partnerships and on-site services the district is pursuing or expanding, including Hazel Health telehealth/physical-health visits, vaccine clinics, Vision to Learn glasses clinics, a breath mobile for asthma, and deeper collaboration with community partners and local law enforcement for events and programming. He emphasized that a major goal is to make schools a community hub where families can access services without needing to navigate multiple external providers.

Dr. Chavez also detailed capacity-building for family ambassadors and liaisons: training sessions focused on team building, community cultural wealth and engagement strategies, and asset mapping/needs assessment to inform planning at each school site. Those efforts, he said, are intended to increase family participation in PTOs and school-site councils and to build meaningful family advocacy rather than only counting attendance.

Board members thanked Chavez and the Community Schools team; no formal vote tied specifically to new Community Schools funding was recorded during the update.