Twin Valley SD unveils wellness web pages after PACE youth survey findings

At the May 18 Twin Valley School Board meeting, Dr. Watson and Tanya Hollis presented findings from the PACE youth survey and demonstrated new district wellness web pages that compile local and national resources on bullying prevention, mental health and substance-use prevention.

The presentation described PACE as “a survey conducted anonymously every two years for students in sixth, eighth and twelfth grades” that informs district efforts on student behavior, attitudes and supports, Dr. Watson said. The task force that reviewed the PACE data compiled an itemized action plan with items marked complete, in progress and ongoing; board members were shown a website icon designed to help families find resources quickly.

The presenters said the pages include links to the district’s bullying policy, crisis contact information, student assistance program resources and short videos for parents. Tanya Hollis said the pages were built from task-force recommendations and include both Berks and Chester County resources because the district serves students in both counties. “We built resources that were both local and national to help families find information and also be a great resource for staff members to refer caregivers to,” Hollis said.

Board members asked when the pages launched and how viewership would be measured. The presenters said the site had been live for about a month and that administrators can see page visits on the district site while outbound clicks to external sites may not register the same way; they recommended collecting analytics and bringing that data back to the committee. The presenters also proposed a series of outreach efforts — including “Wellness Wednesdays,” QR codes, targeted communications to elementary schools and periodic reminders in newsletters — to drive traffic to topic pages such as bullying or substance use.

Several members asked whether the PACE findings would lead to curriculum changes. Dr. Watson replied that a K–12 student wellness curriculum review is on the task list but would need a separate subcommittee and follow the district’s curriculum-change process before any classroom changes are adopted. Board members also supported extending the survey to include older elementary grades; the presenters said the task force recommended including fourth grade in future administrations to capture elementary-level trends.

Next steps include using the June 10 professional-development day for task-force work, completing Year 2 action items and planning a wellness fair next year. The presenters invited board members and community members to contribute to the effort and said they will provide analytics and an action-plan update to the committee for follow-up.