SEPAC Business Meeting – October 11, 2022
Call to Order
Introductions: Alison Elmer, Chris Carlson, Joyce Schlenger, Kristin Burke, Magali Olander, Caroline Rosa, Inae Hwang, Sarah Barton, Jessica Dombrosky, Gina Filosa, Meredith S, Alison Babeu, Rubia, Tracy Perneta, Ron, and Michael attended.
Approve Minutes: Meeting Minutes from June 2022 and September 2022 were approved.
Officers/Committee Reports:
- We had a nice Meet and Greet at the high school at the end of September in the new high school. It was nice to see everyone in person.
- We are partnering with Somerville SEPAC to do Basic Rights- Evaluation and Eligibility, on Thursday October 27th, at 7pm.
Here is the Zoom link for the Basic Rights Workshop:
Meeting ID: 825 4903 8334
Password: SSEPAC-21
- Sarah and Jess participated in interviews for the new District CFO position.
Planning Workshops for the Coming Year:
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APS Staff Reports:
- The Tiered Focused Monitoring folks will be reviewing the District Special Education programs in November, along with additional special education records that they choose.
- A survey should be coming to every parent of a child with an IEP at the end of this month. If you’d like to request a phone interview, please contact Joan Brinkerhoff: 781-338-3715 .
- We received the recommendations of the APS Equity audit. Superintendent Homan and DEI Director Thomas are planning community forums so that families can learn about the new APS Vision, hear the recommendations of the Equity Audit, and give community input on the drafts of the APS Strategic Planning Initiatives.
- In the spring, we held workshops to determine a new Mission and Vision for the District, and now we will be holding forums to get community input.
Presentation on APS Mental Health Screening Initiatives – presented by Mental Health Assessment & Outreach Coordinator Magali Olander and District-Wide Social Worker Caroline Rosa
- Link to presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rhXdJ3XYIXlGVf7IPqsMVOpB9xUC1l9Q/view?usp=share_link
- Statistically, 1 in 5 adolescents will have mild mental health issues, and 1 in 10 will be identified with severe mental health issues. The majority of these students will receive mental health support in schools
- Mental Health universal screening is a Tier 1 intervention, given to the entire student body. Mental Health screeners are offered to every student in grades 3 through 12.
- Universal screeners help identify which students might need additional group and individual services.
- The Trails to Wellness curriculum is the Tier 2 program, for students who are identified as needing more support: http://www.trailstowellness.org
- Michael asked: Do screening responses ever result in DCF referrals, or do staff have individual conversations with families before that could happen? I’d expect that families who feel more vulnerable around DCF will end up opting out to avoid that risk.
Answer: the screener specifically asks questions about anxiety and depression. Any issues dealing with abuse and neglect are often identified when Tier 2 interventions have begun.
Tracy asked what happens if students respond in a way that suggests they are at risk for self-harm or suicide.
Answer: Those students who respond as at risk for suicide/self-harm are often met with that very same day. If they aren’t met with that day, it is within the next few days.
Michael asked if there are demographic breakdowns of opt outs, to check whether there are patterns based on income or race?
Answer: Teachers know which students have opted out, and students are allowed to opt out on their own, and there is language about that at the start of the screener, so they know they can opt out.
There are a relatively small number of opt outs compared to the total number of students who participate in the screening.
Of the students who test at elevated levels of concern, students have their counselors/social workers check in with them soon after.
Inae asked if students on IEPs can use the results of the mental health screener to inform whether they might require additional social work services, if they currently do not receive them on their IEP.
Answer: Since the information in the screener is indicative of that student’s mental health state on that day, and is not diagnostic. The school social worker (part of the special education team in the K-8 Student Services model) is made aware of the results.
Sarah asked what other initiatives they have been working on.
Answer: It’s mostly the screener at this moment, but we are currently thinking about how the needs of the district as a whole could inform better Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions.
Mental Health Screener FAQ:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13XpUAGFUtwani31BepvkIdx6TtDDDfgBRijJerNMtmo/edit
Public Participation / New Business / Open Discussion:
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Announcements:
- Basic Rights with Somerville SEPAC on Thursday, October 27th at 7pm on Zoom.
- Our next meeting will be Tuesday, November 8th, at 7pm at this same Zoom link.
Adjourn
