TRUCKEE, Calif. – In a move that addresses the growing need for mental health services for students, the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District is launching a pilot program that will expand the use of social workers in schools, supported by financial support from Excellence in Education and the Placer County Mental Health Services Law.
TTUSD already provides mental health resources in the form of student services and wellness programs with programs that include social, emotional, mental, and physical health services for all students; parent and community associations; socio-emotional training for teachers; school counselors and psychologists at each school site; coordinated care teams; Wellness centers in middle and high schools; student support groups; suicide prevention education and Hope Squads and school social workers and therapists.
Programs have been successful for about one in five children (ages 3-17) who reported a mental, emotional, or behavioral health disorder prior to 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of students experiencing social, emotional and behavioral disorders. problems that interfere with school performance, often aggravated by complex family problems. TTUSD saw the need to strengthen its mental wellness program.
During the 2021-22 school year, TTUSD piloted on-site school social workers to help address student mental health issues such as self-regulation, anxiety, and depression. Since the program launched in October 2021, school social workers have provided comprehensive support to 75 students and their families by connecting them with various school and mental health services. Social workers provide case management for students with complex family issues to help them navigate services, offer short-term counseling, conduct risk assessments, and help school administrators and counselors develop student behavior management plans.
TTUSD is expanding the school social worker program for the upcoming school year, providing part-time social workers at Alder Creek High School, Truckee High School, North Tahoe High School, North Tahoe High School, and riverside elementary schools. lake and Truckee.
As a catalyst to launch the expansion program and give it traction, Excellence in Education has provided the district with a $50,000 grant. In addition, the Placer County MHSA has committed to funding a portion of the social worker program for the upcoming school year. TTUSD is covering the remaining costs of caseworkers and securing sustainable funding, in part through ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) and potential SBHIP (Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program) funding.
The Placer County Office of Education selected TTUSD as a pilot program for the California Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program, providing an opportunity to align with county programming to build sustainable infrastructure and leverage state funding long-term.
To support the Excellence in Education Foundation and become a Friend of Education, donate online at ExinEd.org or call 530-550-7984.
Source: Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District
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