Maple Heights board reviews mental‑health partnership data from Effective School Solutions

The Maple Heights City School Board examined preliminary results from a new partnership with Effective School Solutions at its May 11 Committee of the Whole meeting.

Jess Fowler, regional director for Effective School Solutions, told the board the vendor provided 1,561 therapeutic services this school year to 24 students, averaging about 2.94 services per student per week. Fowler said program measures show 92% of academically struggling students demonstrated significant improvement, 88% of students with chronic absenteeism improved, and 83% of students with histories of out‑of‑school suspension showed improvement. "One hundred percent of parents agreed their child has made some level of improvement," Fowler said.

The presentation included teacher and parent survey results and a description of services delivered (intake assessments, individual and group therapy, family sessions and on‑demand classroom support). Fowler said ESS conducted classroom observations (about 80) and 24 collaborative meetings this year and had made roughly 172 contacts for care coordination with families. A short recorded exchange with a fourth‑grade student described coping skills taught in the program: "Three things you can touch, taste, feel and smell," the student said when asked to name strategies that help.

Despina Mateos, ESS director of district partnerships, described ESS's Core 4 (an "attuned" whole‑school coaching model), which includes a three‑hour engagement series, cohort coaching and on‑demand training for school staff. Mateos said the approach focuses on training adults across a building so that staff model self‑regulation and the practices scale beyond students directly on the caseload.

Board members pressed for additional detail and requested school‑level and sample‑size breakdowns. Chair asked for clarity about how counts vary by grade: Fowler replied that GPA tracking applies only to middle‑school students and that caseloads fluctuate as students move in and out of district placements. "If there's any different way you want data to be presented, that's a really easy change up," Fowler said, and she offered to provide the requested breakdowns in a different format.

Superintendent Dela Flora emphasized the district can select components of the ESS model that best fit local needs rather than adopt a single package. The board did not take action on program expansion during the meeting; presenters said they would return with more detailed data and scheduling information for professional development and coaching if the board requests further consideration.

Next steps: ESS will provide the board with the requested school‑level breakdowns and a schedule for the Core 4 coaching elements; the board will consider whether to expand services next school year.