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District's We Care team says school-based counseling reached hundreds, flagged 54 suicide-risk cases
Summary
Elizabeth Ortiz presented the district's We Care mental-health services and said staff delivered 112 individual consents, more than 100 crisis/student contacts, 54 suicide risk assessments and 9 threat assessments over the year, while expanding bilingual family workshops and staff trainings.
Elizabeth Ortiz, the licensed clinical social worker who leads the district's We Care team, told the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District board that the program provided broad, campus-based mental-health support during the 2025–26 school year. "We had 112 individual consents for students across our campuses," Ortiz said during the June 11 meeting, listing services that ranged from individual therapy to restorative groups and bilingual caregiver workshops offered in partnership with the state Department of Mental Health.
Ortiz described prevention and crisis work in quantitative terms: more than 100 student crisis contacts, 54 suicide risk assessments and nine threat assessments. She also noted group- and schoolwide activities, including a mental-health awareness month in May in which every student received a small "duckie" reminder distributed on campuses. Board members thanked Ortiz and her team for expanding services; one trustee said, "I felt like so many people don't even know what you do until they need you," and urged continued community outreach.
The presentation emphasized bilingual supports and staff training: Ortiz said counselors completed weekly individual supervision and group supervision to maintain mandated practices. Ortiz credited grant-facilitator Stacy Newton and interns from USC and CSUN with supporting program delivery. Board and staff reviewers asked about outcomes and program fidelity; Ortiz pointed to attendance numbers for groups (for example, an 11-student girls group) and to regular professional development, and said more detailed reporting will be included in future superintendent reports.
Why it matters: Trustees framed the presentation as evidence the district's investments in school-based mental-health services are reaching students across grade levels and reducing disciplinary incidents. The board encouraged continued monitoring of impact and noted that staff capacity and program funding will affect whether services can be expanded or sustained.
What happens next: Ortiz said she will continue to provide updates to the superintendent's report and respond to board questions about assessments and program metrics.
