Last revised: April 25, 2024
IJA POLICY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Related Entries: Responsible Offices: ACA, COA, COA-RA, IGN, IGO-RA, IHC-RA, IJA-RA, IOERA, IOE-RB, IOI-RA, IOH-RA
Deputy Superintendent; Office of School Support and Well-being; Office of District Operations Social-Emotional and Mental Health Programming and Services for Students A. B. C.
PURPOSE
To set forth a framework for a multitiered system of universal, targeted, and intensive student services that support the essential educational mission of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS): student learning and academic achievement, school attendance, and school completion To affirm the Board of Education’s commitment to student social-emotional well-being and mental health as essential to student academic success
ISSUE
Student learning and academic achievement, school attendance, and school completion all have strong social-emotional and mental health components: cognitive demands for learning; social and emotional and mental health demands for behaving according to school rules, norms, and expectations; and physical demands to be active throughout the school day. School communities thrive when the student body is engaged in school life, healthy, and its members make positive decisions that promote their own well-being and the wellbeing of others.
POSITION 1.
The Board affirms the importance of students and parents/guardians having access to reliable and caring sources of support in times of worry, concern, or crisis.
In every MCPS school setting, students shall have access to social-emotional and mental health professionals and other trusted adults who interact with students regularly and can facilitate appropriate and timely connections with social emotional and mental health supports, programming, and services for students when needed.
MCPS will establish learning objectives and supporting resources for MCPS staff and, as appropriate, volunteers who regularly interact with students, so that they are knowledgeable about the functions of the Student Well-being Teams (SWBTs) and Educational Management Teams (EMTs)., to activate available resources, such as small-group skills training, short-term individual or group counseling, case management, home visits/interventions for absenteeism, behavior threat assessment, suicide assessment, crisis intervention, or referral to community partner agencies for individual or group therapy.
2. 3. 4. Consistent with Policy ABC, Family-School Partnerships, the Board promotes student and family access to social-emotional well-being and mental health supports, programming, and services, provided either directly by MCPS staff or through community partners.
a) b) Students will have regular opportunities to meet in person with school based MCPS social-emotional and mental health professionals, who will help them understand, as appropriate, the programming and services available to students, including each school’s SWBT.
MCPS will effectively communicate school-level information to families and students about the social-emotional well-being, mental health professionals, and programming and services at each school, either through direct provision by MCPS staff or through referrals to community partner agencies.
The Board seeks to support students’ academic success with a multitiered system of supports that –
a) b) fosters positive, respectful, orderly, and safe learning environments necessary for effective learning, in alignment with Policy COA, Student Well-being and School Safety, and the Be Well 365 Initiative; and
responds to specific student needs by analyzing, organizing, and activating available resources and appropriate student services professionals, including school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers (SSWs), and direct outreach professionals such as pupil personnel workers (PPWs), emergent multilingual learner therapeutic counselors (ETCs), and parent community coordinators (PCC).
A multitiered system should include, but not be limited to, the following key components:
a) b) Universal programming available to all students – grade-specific and age appropriate classroom instruction through the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) curricula for health education and mental health literacy;
research-informed schoolwide social-emotional learning programs; and drop-in support from school-based mental health professionals.
Targeted student supports – consultation among parents/guardians and grade-level or subject-area teams, as appropriate, to consider specific student needs and strengths and develop behavior support and interventions that address identified concerns.
c) 5. Intensive support – coordination through SWBTs and EMTs to activate available resources, such as small-group skills training, short-term individual or group counseling, case management, home visits/interventions for absenteeism, behavior threat assessment, suicide assessment, crisis intervention, or referral to community partner agencies for individual or group therapy.
MCPS shall provide parents/guardians with access to student educational records entitled to them under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
6. D. MCPS partnerships with with community partner agencies shall be established through memoranda of understanding that specify, as appropriate, partnership roles and responsibilities, referral processes, safety planning, decision-making rules, and confidentiality and data-sharing protocols in alignment with FERPA, which governs MCPS staff and programming, and the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, which governs health providers.
DESIRED OUTCOMES 1. 2. 3. E.
All students will thrive and become healthy, resilient, self-confident, and successful young people, who are engaged in school life and make positive decisions that promote their own well-being and the well-being of others.
Students and families will access, when needed, the appropriate supports that students may need and understand the purposes of social-emotional and mental health programming.
The educational mission of MCPS will be supported by an effective and efficient system of universal, targeted, and intensive student services to foster positive, respectful, orderly, and safe learning environments necessary for effective learning.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES The superintendent of schools will –
1. 2. implement counseling, social-emotional learning, health education, and mental health literacy curricula to support student learning and academic achievement, school attendance, and school completion with social-emotional knowledge and skills appropriate for their level of development;
provide students and families with school-level and topic-specific information needed to effectively access each social-emotional and mental health program and practice area, provided through MCPS resources and community partners;
3 of 4 IJA 3. 4. F. collect regular feedback on stakeholder access to social-emotional and mental health programming and services; and establish regulations and/or other administrative procedures necessary for carrying out the commitments and priorities outlined in this policy, consistent with Maryland law and Board policy.
REVIEW AND REPORTING 1. 2. 3. The superintendent of schools shall recommend to the Board the funding necessary and available to implement the goals of this policy and strategically deploy student services professionals and their responsibilities effectively and equitably. As part of deliberations on the superintendent of schools’ recommended budget, the Board will review the capacity of social-emotional and mental health programming and student services for elementary, middle, and high schools and alternative programs, and determine the funding necessary and available to promote equitable and effective staffing, informed by national best practices.
This policy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, in accordance with the Board of Education’s review process.
Related Sources: Policy History: MD Educ Code Ann § 7-1501 (2018); MD Courts and Judiciary Code Ann §5-609; Code of Maryland Regulations, sections 13a.07.11.03; 13a.05.05.02; 13a.12.03.02; 13a.12.03.07; 13a.12.03.11; 13a.12.03.08.08; 13a.12.04.08.08 Formerly Policy IJA, School Counseling (2004); amended by Resolution No. 200-24,