ABC Unified details student and family supports, mental-health staffing and expanded-learning growth

District leaders on Tuesday told the ABC Unified School District board they have expanded services aimed at connecting students and families to health, mental-health and academic supports.

"What we have here is the different supports that we do provide and under my department we do have health services and credential nurses," said Dr Myra Lozano, director of school services, describing school-based screenings and an ABCUSD clinic at Burbank Elementary that offers immunizations and TB testing.

The presentation, framed under the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Goal 2 on connectedness, also highlighted a partnership with the Family Health Care Center of Greater Los Angeles that will provide on-site medical services on certain days and additional preventive care for uninsured students. Directors said mental-health professionals are assigned to every school (one in elementary and middle schools and two in high schools) to provide school-based counseling, crisis intervention and referrals.

"These supports tie into our mission and our student portrait," Dr Lozano said, adding that mental-health staff and site liaisons help prioritize foster and homeless youth for before- and after-school programs, tutoring and transportation assistance.

Special-programs director Dr Evelyn ha described services for multilingual learners, including a language assessment center housed at Willow Elementary and new Saturday school offerings targeted at English learners. Dr ha said the district is shifting from the term "English learners" to "multilingual learners" and is expanding summer and Saturday programming and counseling supports.

Child-welfare and attendance staff detailed nonpunitive intervention programs for substance and behavior incidents, including PATH (drug and alcohol supports), STAY (tobacco prevention) and STEP (behavior supports aimed at resolving conflicts). The district said those programs serve grades 6–12 as alternatives to suspension and that staff are reviewing curriculum updates to ensure the interventions remain research-based and current.

Board members pressed staff for details on how to convert an emerging Hispanic/Latino Family Circle into a formal parent-advisory committee; staff said a planning group will meet next week with the equity office to explore steps and clarify roles. Trustees also asked for data on vaping and other on-campus substance incidents; Dr Ricardo ly offered to provide historical behavior and suspension reports to the board.

ABC Excels, the district's expanded-learning program, reported current enrollment of 3,845 students, an increase of roughly 700 students over last year, staff said. The program will add read-aloud literacy activities and new enrichment options such as culinary arts in the coming year.

Board President Mrs Say and other trustees thanked student and adult-school representatives for attending. Staff closed by inviting families to contact individual schools or district offices for more information about program eligibility.

The presentation drew questions but no formal board action; staff promised follow-up data on program vendors, tutoring partnerships and disciplinary trends.