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Weslaco ISD reports more than 10,000 students reached by expanded mental‑health services
Summary
Dr. Linda May Viera told the board the district’s multi‑tiered mental‑health program served 10,208 students in Tier 2 this school year, with 814 students on treatment plans and 5,498 Tier‑3 interventions; the district now uses 55 vetted vendors and increased staff training to meet demand.
Dr. Linda May Viera, the district’s lead mental‑health counselor, briefed the Weslaco ISD Board of Trustees on an expanded multi‑tiered mental‑health program and reported the district served 10,208 students with Tier‑2 supports this school year and had 814 students on ongoing treatment plans.
The presentation outlined a three‑tier framework: Tier 1 provides universal prevention and classroom social‑emotional lessons using the Panorama curriculum; Tier 2 offers targeted small‑group or individual interventions; and Tier 3 supplies intensive one‑on‑one therapeutic services for students with diagnoses or suicidal outcries. "So in total, 10,208 students benefited from these Tier‑2 services," Viera said, listing elementary and secondary counts she presented to the board.
Viera described staff training and credentials: the district certifies staff through an 8.5‑hour Youth Mental Health First Aid course and reported roughly 750 employees are nationally certified. She said the district maintains a crisis manual and operates a crisis management team of district social workers and Viera herself, and that the district contracts with a growing vendor network (55 vetted providers) to expand clinical capacity. "We have the largest number of contracted agencies than ever before," she said.
On program outcomes and access, Viera said in‑house referrals begin quickly and outside agencies generally schedule intakes within about two weeks. She told trustees that earlier internal data showed students receiving Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 supports had improved attendance and grades when services were successful. For Tier‑3 services she reported 2,512 elementary and 2,984 secondary interventions (5,498 total) this year and that 141 elementary and 673 secondary students were receiving ongoing treatment plans (814 total).
Trustees raised operational questions: how many staff are assigned to follow a student from middle to high school, continuity of care when students change campuses, and summer availability of services. Viera said LPC assignments are being adjusted for district coverage and that about 40 of the contracted providers can deliver summer services. She also described a new "Think Smart" anti‑drug and alcohol program for students placed at alternative programs and a county partnership called Handle with Care that routes referrals through law‑enforcement liaisons.
The board urged continued tracking of program metrics and outcomes. Several trustees praised the expansion, while asking administration to maintain data on timeliness and the effect on attendance and academics as the district scales services. The presentation concluded with trustees thanking staff and coaches for their involvement in the district’s mental‑health work.
The board did not take separate action on the presentation; trustees asked for continued reporting on impact metrics going forward.
