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District expands youth-wellness work and funds three outreach workers
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Carolyn Bernal told the board the district convened a Youth Wellness Collaborative after the loss of a student and used Targeted School Improvement funds to place three Youth Outreach Workers through The Next Door to mentor students and address chronic absenteeism.
Superintendent Dr. Carolyn Bernal said the district convened a Youth Wellness Community Collaborative of more than 25 community partners to coordinate supports after a student suicide more than a year ago highlighted gaps in mental-health services. She summarized five focus areas for the collaborative: attendance and engagement, substance-abuse prevention, direct mental-health services, supports for LGBTQ+ students and transportation/community access.
"This work took on greater urgency after the loss of a student to suicide over a year ago," Bernal said. She described the district's decision to pool Targeted School Improvement federal funds to contract with The Next Door to hire three Youth Outreach Workers (YOWs). Each YOW is assigned to two schools on a rotating schedule to provide in-school mentoring, connect families to resources, support attendance teams and offer career guidance. Board members asked about sustainability; Bernal said funding is confirmed for 2025–26 but long-term continuation depends on future federal allocations and local funding choices.
