Community member urges Arcadia Unified to adopt districtwide SEL screening and public wellness reporting

Sarah Espinosa, a USC MSW student and community member, told the board she has worked with children for many years and urged the district to collect clearer data on students' mental health needs. "I'm respectfully asking the district to consider implementing a universal age appropriate social emotional learning plan, a screening tool that increases transparency and reporting overall student wellness data," she said.

Espinosa framed the request as a way to help counselors identify where supports are needed without labeling students. "Not to label students, but to improve the support they need," she said, adding that without publicly available data it is difficult to fully understand the scope of students' challenges and to ensure supports reach those who need them most.

The comment came during the public comment period; board members did not take action during the meeting but later considered related student-wellness items in educational services reports. The request highlights a community push for district-level transparency about mental health metrics and for consistent, age-appropriate SEL screening across campuses.