dcps.duvalschools.org · Web viewIt is essential for each school in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) to be a healthy, respectful, and supportive environment in which students can

DCPS Developmental Responsiveness Report

Table of Contents

I. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………

II. Department Leadership………………………………………………………………….

III. Systems & Capacity Building…………………………………………………………

IV. Direct Student Services…………………………………………………………………

V. Targets…………………………………………………………………………………

VI. Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………

Executive Director, Discipline and Student Support Services Jackie Simmons Jr. (904) 390-2909

Director, School Behavioral Health Katrina Taylor (904) 390-2926

Supervisor, Hearing Office Byron Copeland (904) 630-6803

Supervisor, School Social Work Laura Chiarello (904) 390-2093

Supervisor, Climate and Culture Vamecia Powell (904) 390-2944

Supervisor, Teen Parent Program Tanya Watts (904) 390-2050

Department Leadership

Introduction It is essential for each school in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) to be a healthy, respectful, and supportive environment in which students can learn and teachers can teach. Focus must be placed on the development of the whole child by providing avenues for students to attain high levels of academic achievement while meeting student needs through multiple opportunities for enrichment. Likewise, teachers must be afforded opportunities for professional learning that enhances their capacity to establish and sustain highly engaging learning environments while remaining sensitive to individual student needs. Efforts to address safety, school climate, behavior, and discipline must be positive, proactive, instructional and collaborative with a strong focus on prevention and intervention.

Beginning with the 2013-14 academic year, and continuing throughout the 2017-18 school year, DCPS has fortified its commitment to building and supporting school cultures that focus on reinforcing positive behaviors and strengthening school communities. Through a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework, the district will build upon a continuous improvement model to develop, implement, and refine a culture of behavior and discipline conducive to teaching and learning. Our commitment to developing the whole child is manifested in part through the way in which we are reforming our approach to safety and discipline. Through the platform of positive behavior supports and a progressive discipline plan, we shift from viewing the student and the misbehavior as synonymous, to one where we value the student and offer support for skill building and development, while providing consequences for inappropriate behaviors.

This Multi-Tiered Behavioral Framework (MTBF) (Appendix A) is critical for enhancing adoption and implementation of a continuum of evidence-based practices to achieve academically and behaviorally important outcomes for all students. The office of Student Discipline and Support Services, newly named the Office of School Culture and Climate for the 2016-17 academic school year, establishes structures and supports for professional learning and technical assistance to schools and community, Deans of Discipline, school administrators, teachers and other stakeholders in the implementation of restorative practices, early warning systems, bullying prevention efforts, and crisis response procedures. Additional programs include: In-school Suspension, Alternative to Truancy and Out of School Suspension (ATOSS), Night-time Substance Use Prevention Counseling Education Program, Student Option for Success Program, and mental health services. These programs on each end of the continuum allow DCPS to foster prevention and intervention and reinforce supportive learning environments for students and teachers.

In the 2017-18 school year, the district continued to incorporate a progressive approach to discipline, with a primary focus on skill building and restorative practices to ensure a more predictable, consistent, positive and safe school culture. DCPS is committed to implementing a positive and progressive approach to discipline. The team continues to lead the development of all support mechanisms around improving the culture and community of schools so that there is a thriving student culture. As a way to leverage this new way of thinking, the district employs PBIS structures and Restorative Justice, as well as Early Warning Systems. DCPS maintains student support staff, including deans and security guards, as well as a Bullying Prevention and Crisis Hotline to support students or adults in the midst of stressful periods in their lives. The district also offers support through the SOS & Night Time Substance Use Education Programs. Alongside this reorganization, the district has provided a School Culture Support Specialist for every school so that mental and behavioral health needs of all students can be more efficiently and effectively met by school and support staff.

Systems & Capacity BuildingPOSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION & SUPPORTS

PBIS is a framework for cultivating safe and productive school environments in which academic outcomes are improved for all students. Through a PBIS framework, schools define their guidelines for success, teach these through explicit skills lessons, reinforce with school-wide rewards, and respond to misbehavior with interventions and disciplinary actions. A crucial element of PBIS is the growth and development of school-based leadership teams that guide implementation and engage in data-based decision making. These methods are research-based and proven to significantly reduce the occurrence of problem behaviors in the school, resulting in a more positive school climate and increased academic performance (Bradshaw, C.P., Mitchell. M.M., & Leaf, 2010). In school districts across the country where PBIS has been implemented with fidelity, it has resulted in decreased discipline referrals, increased perceptions of safety, higher graduation rates, and increased academic achievement (Sprick, Isaac, Sprick, & Rich, 2014). The PBIS process is a team-based approach that relies on a strong collaboration between families and professionals from a variety of disciplines regardless of the level implemented. These are all areas in which DCPS is looking to improve. PBIS provides a positive and effective alternative to the traditional methods of discipline and is consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which advocates the use of positive behavior interventions and school-based disciplinary strategies that reduce or eliminate the need to use suspension and expulsion as disciplinary options. DCPS continues to support existing character education programs (as noted in Appendix C) and has built character education into all curriculum guides to ensure compliance with state statute. PBIS strategies are part of a Multi-Tiered Behavioral Framework. At Tier I, an effective school-wide system should reduce the number of students who need more expensive and time-consuming resources at Tiers 2 and 3, Florida’s Positive Behavior Support Project: Response to Intervention for Behavior, 2008. In DCPS, Tier I strategies include the development and teaching of school-wide expectations and common area policies and procedures to all students and staff and the implementation of a school-wide positive reward/recognition system that acknowledges students who consistently demonstrate behavioral expectations. DCPS students who continue to demonstrate problem behavior, despite being exposed to Tier I strategies, will receive appropriate Tier 2 interventions for targeted behavior. Examples of such interventions are small group instruction in the behavioral skill deficit, Check In/Check Out, Meaningful Work, and mentoring. The purpose of providing targeted intervention is to reduce or eliminate the problem behavior to the extent that the student can be successful with just Tier I supports. If the student cannot be successful with Tier 2 supports, Tier 3 interventions are included in the behavior management plan. These interventions are individualized and more intensive in nature, and involve individual behavior plans and possible referral to Full Service Schools for therapeutic support. The mission of the Office of School Culture & Climate Support is to assist schools in providing an equitable, safe, respectful and supportive learning environment in which students can learn and teachers can teach. Focus is placed on the use of research based positive behavioral interventions and school specific strategies that reduce or eliminate the need to use punitive measures as a disciplinary option, build social emotional skills and increase academic successes through professional development and progress monitoring.

Strategies for Implementation: STRIVE Grant - Duval County was awarded a competitive grant focused on school climate transformation in DTO schools. The grant provided funds for five additional specialists to support the implementation of PBIS structures and systems within and beyond the DTO (now Turnaround) region. The overarching goals of the grant are to adopt a coaching model, establish a MTSS for behavior, and sustain PBIS practices across the district. Restorative Justice (RJ) - A fundamental aspect of the DCPS implementation of PBIS, Restorative Justice is based on a set of principles that guide the response to conflict and harm, striving for accountability, community safety, and competency development. Restorative Justice is grounded in repairing harm in an effort to restore relationships, with the goal of keeping schools safe and minimizing exclusionary disciplinary practices that limit learning time. DCPS Restorative Justice is a three tier approach, including community building practices like morning meeting, restorative processes like peer mediation and student accountability boards, and re-entry structures like supporting circles. In the 2017-18 school year, we welcomed visitors from Sarasota Public Schools to observe and learn from our best practices with RJ. Restorative Justice/Practices Trainings

Training Name Date Audience # Trained

RJ Tier I: Morning Meeting & Community Building in the Elementary Classroom

10/5/17 Elementary Teachers 30



Ongoing School-Based Audiences Varies

RJ Tier II: Train the Trainer

10/18/17

APs, ISSP Paras, Deans, Behavior Interventionists

75

11/14/17 APs, ISSP Paras, Deans, Behavior Interventionists

75


75


75


75


75

Night Time Substance Use Prevention Counseling Education Program (NT) - NT is an alternative program available to students who have committed an alcohol, drug, or drug-related infraction against the Code of Student Conduct. Based on the belief that adolescents and their parents can be taught to empower the family structure, the program is tailored to utilize the

known dynamics of both individual and group development and family interaction. Activities are utilized which address risk factors while strengthening protective factors. Activities involve parents interacting as a group, while students participate together in a separate setting. Opportunities are also provided for joint communication and exchange of ideas, feelings, and concerns. Student Options for Success (SOS) - SOS is an after-school counseling program for students and parents who are experiencing disciplinary problems in the regular school settings. The curriculum includes classes on communication, bullying, anger and impulse control, conflict resolution, self-esteem, empathy, peer pressure, decision making, and goal setting. Activities are utilized which address risk factors while strengthening protective factors. Activities involve parents interacting as a group, while students participate together in a separate setting. Opportunities are also provided for joint communication and exchange of ideas, feelings, and concerns. Foundations - Based on the work that has already been done with Safe and Civil Schools, DCPS continues to facilitate team training and development for all schools in order to build their internal capacity for PBIS structures and systems. Foundations Trainings

Training Name Date Audience # Trained PBIS Team Training 5/22/18, 5/23/18,

5/24/18, 5/29/18 School Based PBIS Teams

(Whole District) 485

PBIS Team Facilitation Support

Ongoing School-Based PBIS Teams 50+

Tough Kid - Another Safe and Civil Schools program, Tough Kid is a resource for tier two interventions. Teachers participated in a two-day training that builds knowledge and skill around strategies for working with students exhibiting “tough kid” behaviors. CHAMPS is a prerequisite for this training. Tough Kid Trainings

Training Name Date Audience # Trained Strategies for Responding to

“Tough Kid” Behavior 10/3/17 Teachers 25

11/2/17 Teachers 25

2/6/2018 Teachers 25

Dean of Students - Because the culture of a school campus is heavily influenced by the way in which discipline is administered, a Dean of Students was placed in all non-magnet secondary schools. In 2013-14, DCPS created a new Dean position at all secondary schools (and some elementary schools) to help facilitate a new, positive behavioral system. The Dean serves as the touchstone for staff, students, parents, and community stakeholders in the area of student discipline, safe, civil, orderly school culture, and crisis management. The Deans in DCPS are supported daily by the building administrators and at the district level by staff specialists. Monthly trainings covered a variety of topics around bullying, PBIS, crisis management, classroom management, de-escalation, EWS, restorative practices, ISSP procedures, mental health initiatives and SESIR coding and response.

Deans Trainings Training Name Date Audience # Trained

Deans Training 10/18/17 Secondary Deans & Elementary APs &

Interventionists

75


Interventionists

75


Interventionists

75


Interventionists

75


Interventionists

75


Interventionists

75

Region-Based, Tiered Support for Specialist Cohorts - In order to better meet the needs of all schools and allocate time with greater intentionality, School Culture Support Specialists were assigned to regions, supporting all schools in partnership with the Region Leadership Team. Together, they created a tiered system of support for schools, grouping schools by level of need and internal capacity. Data points used to determine need included school grades, disciplinary infraction data, action data, fidelity data (from the FLPBS PIC and BOQ), regional superintendent feedback, internal capacity measures, and staff attrition/retention data. Florida Positive Behavior Support (FLPBS) Project - DCPS has partnered with the FLPBS Project at the University of South Florida to enhance and expand capacity across the district. FLPBS provides measurement and reporting tools, professional development facilitation and support, and grant guidance. Accomplishments: STRIVE Grant - As of 6/30/18, the STRIVE team is fully staffed with seven STRIVE specialists. Night time Substance Abuse According to follow-up data collected on students who participated in NT, the program has a high degree of effectiveness and demonstrates a low rate of recidivism for drug or alcohol infractions (year-over-year average non-recidivism rate of 85%). Last year, we partnered with River Oak Center Recovery School to provide wraparound services for students struggling with

substance use. By the end of the year, 37 students had enrolled in this partnership between Florida Recovery Schools and Duval County Public Schools. Student Options for Success According to follow-up data collected on student who participated in SOS, the program has a high degree of effectiveness and demonstrates a low rate of recidivism for like infractions (average non-recidivism rate of 86%).

72% of students referred to SOS completed the program. Tough Kid - Teachers who completed the follow-up survey reported using the content to coach at least one teacher in the weeks immediately following the training, and all teachers reported using two or more of the strategies within one week of the training. PBIS Team Training – 151 schools sent 2-5 members of their PBIS Teams. One of the requirements was to send an administrator to access data platforms such as SAS. Teams engaged in conversations surrounding Tier II supports, completing their Supportive Environment portion of the School Continuous Plan, Guidelines for Success, etc. Teams were given uninterrupted time to plan with their teams for the upcoming 18-19 school year. Opportunities: Positive Behavior Tracking through Focus

Positive Behavior Tracking is a feature in Focus designed to track and reward students who adhere to a set of pre-defined goals or expectations.

In addition, the tracking allows school systems to emphasize positive behaviors instead of focusing on referrals to the office

Expand pilot into 20 schools

Creating a task forces for monitoring and following up to expand into all schools by Fall 2019

Framework for Enhancing Equity Professional Development

Creating opportunities to engage stakeholders in conversations and the skills to recognize, respond to, redress and sustain bias free campuses

Annual District wide PBIS Team Training

Engaging with school PBIS/Foundations teams annually to review best practices, problem solving protocols, data collection & analysis, strategies for enhancing equity and building MTSS with fidelity

District wide Interventions

Student Option for Success – an after school social skills education program for parents and students grades 3 to 12.

Night-Time Substance Use Prevention Counseling Education Program – the district’s program for students who have been charged with committing an alcohol, drug, possession

of prohibited substance or drug paraphernalia infraction against the Code of Student Conduct

CODE OF CONDUCT

Introduction: The 2017-2018 Code of Student Conduct was revised for the 2018-2019 school year to better reflect a continuum of interventions and consequences that promote an enhanced use of positive interventions and behavior supports. It was partly predicated on a need to address an emerging use of suspension as an action for even mild to intermediate behavior problems. While suspension must be a part of any well-developed discipline plan, its use must be balanced with a priority for teaching student behaviors that are necessary in a learning environment as well as ones that will benefit them in the future as part of a larger community. To ensure continuity of progressive discipline practices throughout the district, a matrix of approved consequences was embedded in the Code of Student Conduct. The revision process involved a series of focus groups and committee meetings which engaged local pastors, business partners, and representatives of the NAACP, attorneys, judges, non-profit organizations, school-based personnel along with parents and students that met to thoroughly review the existing Code of Student Conduct and make proposed recommendations. After a series of focus meetings, all participants provided the district with recommended changes that were directly linked to a constant approach to progressive discipline. The school board adopted the new Code of Student Conduct in July of 2018.

Increased use of Restorative Practices throughout the district Increase the use of MTSS Systems through the district Increased Mental Health Initiatives outlined through legislation Decreased Level II, Level III and Level IV Infractions

Strategies for Implementation: The Code of Student Conduct outlines the rights and responsibilities as they relate to student behavior for students, parents/guardians, and agents of the Duval County School Board, emphasizing that all stakeholders have a responsibility to support positive student behavior with the goal of improving academic gains, thereby addressing the needs of the whole child. The revised Code offers more differentiation with offenses and more appropriate consequences, as well as more uniformity of discipline practices across the district. The Code of Student Conduct is separated into two versions, one for elementary and one for secondary. This division was necessary when considering a developmentally appropriate progression of discipline, as well as when considering an opportunity to work with students and change their pattern of behavior. As described in the Code of Student Conduct and mentioned earlier, the district utilizes alternative Educational Centers to address chronic or severe behavior issues. Students who commit specific violations against the Code of Student Conduct are assigned to either Mattie V. Rutherford or Grand Park. Positive behavioral supports at the alternative centers help contribute to a low recidivism rate for students within the same calendar school year. The student behavior support provided in the alternative setting, emphasizes on therapeutic methods used to promote the success of the student by including staff such as social workers and community agencies that provide counseling and transition services.

Training on the Code of Student Conduct was completed for all school principals, assistant principals, and deans throughout 2017-2018 school year. This same training was then extended to all faculty, staff, and students at the school level during the first two weeks of school in August and quarterly during the school year. Deans of Discipline and ISSP Professionals receive ongoing training and support for the Code of Student Conduct, Positive Interventions and Restorative Practices throughout the year. Parents and community stakeholders are invited to attend Parent Academy sessions solely focused on the revisions of the Code of Student Conduct.

Accomplishments: Reduction in the number of students who return to the alternative education center twice within the same school year Mattie V. Rutherford - reduction in the number of flights from the previous school year Grand Park - increase in the percentage of seniors who graduated compared to the previous school year

Opportunities:

Continue to decrease the number of students who enroll in the alternative school and continue to commit code of conduct violations while attending the alternative center and when the student returns to the home school. Decrease the number of students who are overage and under-performing Development of mentoring opportunities

MENTAL HEALTH

Introduction: The purpose of the Duval AWARE program is to build capacity at the district level to support districts in employing a public health approach to promoting mental wellness and ensuring that when DCPS youth do experience mental health problems that they have access to effective and coordinated mental health supports. The program focus is on sustainable systems change for integrating school and community-based mental health supports within a multi-tiered framework (e.g., Interconnected Systems Framework; Barrett, Eber, & Weist, 2013) based on a shared youth, family, school, community, and systems vision and agenda. A multi-tiered system of mental health supports provides a framework for cross-system collaboration (e.g., community, family, peers, juvenile justice, medicine, education, child welfare, etc.) to ensure all DCPS youth access the wide-range of interventions (e.g., violence prevention, school climate, social-emotional learning, well-being promotion, positive youth development, etc.) associated with complete mental health and improved educational, social, emotional, and postsecondary outcomes for youth. Duval AWARE grant supports the state’s effort to scale-up an integrated multi-tiered system of supports to be more inclusive of youth with mental health needs. The program also serves to expand the collaboration of county agencies, district personnel, families, and youth. Duval AWARE Specialists have a wealth of effective resources for youth and their families. However, a need exists to improve coordination and close gaps in existing service systems to meet the needs of DCPS youth and their families. The Duval AWARE goals are to:

Goal 1: Increase awareness of mental health issues within our youth, families, schools and communities Goal 2: Increase implementation of evidence-based culturally responsive mental health practices

Goal 3: Increase youth access to mental health services and supports within a multi-tiered framework (e.g., ISF; Barrett, Eber, & Weist, 2013)

Duval AWARE shared definition of mental health, which is the presence of social, behavioral, and emotional well-being and resilience factors, as well as minimal social, behavioral, and emotional problems, and the reduction of risk factors. Duval AWARE program is committed to reducing risk and increasing mental health by:

1. Teaching social, behavioral, and emotional skills 2. Creating safe and nurturing environments that support well-being 3. Fostering resilience and increasing protective factors 4. Minimizing risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems 5. Providing support to youth in crisis or with chronic mental health needs

Strategies for Implementation: The overall goal of Project Aware ( Duval Aware) is to increase awareness of health issues and connect children and youth with behavioral health issues to needed services. These program objectives include; increasing the awareness of health issues among school-aged youth, educating school-aged youth and their families to increase their awareness of mental health issues and promoting positive mental health, increasing the mental health literacy of school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged youth and increasing the capacity of communities to respond to the health issues of school-aged youth. Duval County Public Schools tackled the massive disparities between the needs and availability for mental health services starting the 2014-15 school year. This was accomplished by training mental health First Aiders within the District. In a strategic approach, district staff, school staff and other adults who interact with students was trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid to detect and respond to mental illness in children and youth. District and School based administration that interact with adults had the opportunity to receive Adult Mental Health First Aid training. Hundreds of additional individuals throughout the county will become First Aiders through our community partnerships with The Office of the Sheriff, Mental Health America of Northeast Florida, University of South Florida, Lutheran Services: Florida, Jacksonville Systems of Care Initiative and the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network. Support from the local partners will ensure that community outreach strategies promote positive mental health, mental health literacy, early mental health screenings, and diagnosis. The prevention of future tragedies through early intervention and systematically developing education and awareness around mental health issues is the overarching goal for the school district and the community. At the conclusion of this training, participants will be better equipped to handle their interactions with young people who appear to be struggling with mental health issues. Duval AWARE Grant - The focus is on integrating school and community-based mental health supports within a multi-tiered framework which includes a shared school, family, community, and systems vision and agenda. This integrated multi-tiered mental health support system will significantly improve access to mental health services for youth and their families and achieve improved educational, social, emotional, and postsecondary outcomes for youth. The coordination of grant activities in implemented in 6 targeted schools in a designated feeder pattern: JEB Stuart MS, Jeff Davis MS, Bayview ES, Normandy Village ES, Jax Heights ES and Westview K8

Mental Health Professional Development Training Name Date Audience # Trained

Second Step Tier 1 Training 7/10-7/11Teachers, District Personnel 13

Trauma Informed and Mental Health Friendly Classrooms

7/12-7/15 Teachers, District Personnel 9

Adult Mental Health First Aid 7/24/2017 Administrators 10

De-escalation Strategies 8/4/2017 Deans 22

ALERT & AWARE Overview 8/8/2017 Teachers 31



Mental Health Friendly Classroom 8/9/2017 Teachers 21




Mental Health Friendly Classroom 8/10/2017 School Psychologists 46

Universal Screening 8/24/2017 Teachers 4






PBIS Booster 9/5/2017 Teachers 29

Healthy Minds Healthy Kids 9/19/2017 Parents 3


Mental Health Awareness 9/21/2017 Fathers 24

Tier II 10/18/2017 Teachers 3

Discipline Disparities 10/19/2017 Teachers 31

Discipline Disparities 10/23/2017 Teachers 27

MTSS 10/25/2017 Teachers 79

Mental Health Practices: Cool Down Zone 10/26/2017 Teachers 25


Mental Health Practices:

Cool Down Zone

10/27/2017 Teachers 15

Mental Health Awareness 10/27/2017 Community 31

Second Step 10/31/2017 Teachers 6



Mental Health Awareness 11/9/2017 Community 14



Mental health Friendly Classroom 11/16/2017 Teachers 38

Managing Emotional Escalation 11/27/2017 Teachers 25

Attendance Training 11/28/2017 Parents 13


Mental Health Awareness 12/7/2017 Parents 13

Interconnected

Systems Framework

12/7/2018 Teachers/Admin 10

Grief and Loss 12/13/2017 Teachers 22

Interconnected

Systems Framework

12/13/2017 Teachers 7


Youth Voice/Leadership Forum 1/17/2018 Teachers 41

MTSS/PBIS Practices 1/26/2018 Teachers 24



Interconnected

Systems Framework

2/13/2018 Teachers 42

Interconnected

Systems Framework

2/14/2018 Teachers 12

Trauma Informed & Self-Care 2/15/2018 Parents 55

MTSS/ISF 2/21/2018 Teachers 8


MTSS for Gear-Up 2/22/2018 Community Based Supports 15

Tier I Implementation 2/23/2018 Teachers 19


District and School Behavioral

Health Supports

4/4/2018 Community Based Supports 13

Child Abuse Prevention &

Mental Health Awareness

4/7/2018 Parents 27

Mental Health Awareness 4/12/2018 Teachers 29

Trauma Informed Care 4/14/2018 Teachers 17

Mental Health Awareness 5/9/2018 Community Providers & DCPS Personnel

80

Mental Health Awareness 5/19/2018 Parents 15

Mental Health Friendly

Classrooms

5/21/2018 Teachers 30


Classrooms

5/21/2018 Teachers 49


Classrooms

5/23/2018 Teachers 24

Mental Health Awareness 5/24/2018 DCPS Personnel 172


Classroom

5/25/2018 Teachers 5

Mental health Awareness 6/2/2018 Parents 20

Trauma Informed Care

for Educators

6/27 & 6/28 Teachers 12

Youth Mental Health First Aid - Youth Mental Health First Aid is a 8-hour training course designed to give members of the public key skills to help an adolescent who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The 8-hour course covers a range of common disorders and potential crises such as helping a young person who is having a panic attack, is contemplating suicide or is struggling with substance abuse. Youth Mental Health First Aid certification teaches participants to:

Recognize the potential risk factors and warning signs of a variety of mental health challenges common among adolescents, including: depression, anxiety, psychosis, eating disorders, ADHD, disruptive behavioral disorders, and substance use disorders. Use a 5-step action plan to help a young person in crisis connect with appropriate professional help. Interpret the prevalence of various mental health disorders in youth within the U.S. and the need for reduced negative attitudes in their communities. Apply knowledge of the appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help resources available to help a young person with a mental health problem treat and manage the problem and achieve recovery. Assess their own views and feelings about youth mental health problems and disorders.

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

TRAINING DATE GROUP # TRAINED

Youth Mental Health First Aid

10/3 & 5/2017 AWARE Schools 15


10/17 & 19/2017 AWARE Schools 4


11/7 & 9/2017 Navigation Schools

13


11/14 & 16/2017 School Counselors

20


11/28 & 30/2017 FSSP Schools 12



20


12/12 & 14/2017 FSSP Schools 7


12/18 & 20/2017 FSSP Schools 7



16


1/16 & 18/2018 FSSP Schools 7






2/20 & 22/2018 School Counselors

11



16


4/3 & 5/2018 FSSP Schools 9


5/16 & 18/2018 FSSP Schools 8


5/22 & 24/2018 FSSP Schools 12


6/25 & 26 ALL teachers 30


6/27 & 28 ALL teachers 37

Adult Mental Health First Aid - Mental Health First Aid is a 8-hour training course designed to give members of the public key skills to help an adult who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The 8-hour course covers a range of common disorders and potential crises such as helping an adult who dealing with anxiety, is contemplating suicide or is struggling with substance abuse. Mental Health First Aid certification teaches participants to:

Recognize the potential risk factors and warning signs of a variety of mental health challenges common among adults, including: depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance use disorders. Use a 5-step action plan to help an adult in crisis connect with appropriate professional help. Interpret the prevalence of various mental health disorders in adults within the U.S. and the need for reduced negative attitudes in their communities. Apply knowledge of the appropriate professional, peer, social, and self-help resources available to help adults with a mental health problem treat and manage the problem and achieve recovery. Assess their own views and feelings about mental health problems and disorders

Adult Mental Health First Aid Training

TRAINING DATE GROUP # TRAINED

Adult Mental Health First Aid

7/24/2017

Administrators 12


3/8/2018

Administrators 16


4/12/2018

Administrators 13


8/1/2018

Administrators 7

Accomplishments Overall Project Goals

Increase mental health literacy of school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged youth via the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training. Increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth. Increase promotion of positive mental health outreach strategies with school-aged youth and their families. Increase mental health literacy of district and school based administration who interact with adults via Adult Mental Health First Aid Training.

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

Increased capacity of community stakeholders in responding to the behavioral health issues of school- aged youth. Training sessions were held in schools, district offices, and community organizations Fourteen trainers facilitated training sessions. 21 training sessions were scheduled from October 2017 to June 2018 262 School-based personnel (faculty and staff) attended the 8-hour training from October 2017 to June 2018

Demographics

262 individuals completed the survey Predominantly female (89%). More participants were Caucasian (46%). More participants were between 25-44 Years of age (49%)

Levels of Satisfaction

Average level of satisfaction with training and instructors was very high across measures: 98.8%. 100% of the participants stated they would recommend the course to others. “Personal interest” was cited slightly more often than “employer asked” as the reason they attended the course (37% compared to 31%), followed by “Other professional development” (21%). More 33.9% stated they saw the training as useful in their role at work (compared to family and other roles). Overall satisfaction for each question was close to 100%

o 99.2% stated that course goals were clearly communicated. o 99.2% stated that course goals & objectives were achieved. o 99.2% stated that course content was practical and easy to understand. o 98.1% stated that there was adequate opportunity to practice the skills learned. o 98.1% stated that the instructor's presentation skills were engaging and approachable. o 99.2% stated that the instructor demonstrated knowledge of the material presented. o 98.5% stated that the instructor facilitated activities/discussion in a clear effective manner

Opportunities

All School Based Administration will be trained in MHFA by June 2018 Every school will have at least three individuals trained in YMHFA by June 2018

Schools with high military population in need of mental health supports will receive YMHFA training Collaboration with community based agencies for YMHFA collaboration Collaboration with School Counseling department to promote YMHFA and various social emotional training. Meet with various community stakeholders to share the purpose of the grant, gain support from the community and promote YMHFA. Duval AWARE will develop a Mental Health Multi-Tiered System of Supports in targeted six schools (Westview K8, Jeff Davis, JEB Stuart, Bayview, Normandy Village and Jax Heights) Mental Health Support Specialist will provide continued mental health professional development District Implementation Team will provide continued feedback to ensure success of the grant Program Coordinator reported progress to the District Leadership Team District Implementation Team meetings monthly to support AWARE efforts Interconnected Systems framework development at AWARE Schools Collaborate with DCPS Office of Family and Community Engagement and plan Parent Night events at all AWARE schools. Mental Health Support Specialists regularly meet with AWARE schools to identify negative indicators with school based teams to help minimize risk factors. Community presentation to share the purpose of the grant, gain support from the community and promote mental health resources Mental Health Supports Team meeting with crisis/bullying team and primary youth Baker Act facility to collaborate, as well as, coordinate our efforts

Direct-to-Student Services

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK

Introduction School social workers are the link between the home, school and community providing direct and indirect services to students, families and school personnel to promote and support students’ academic and social success. School social workers are prepared to provide a breadth of services as members of multidisciplinary school teams. These services include, but are not limited to social history’s, assessments and screenings, counseling and support groups, crisis intervention, home-school collaboration, advocacy, services to families, services to school staff, truancy intervention, coordination of community agency services, classroom presentations, and Parent trainings/workshops. The School Social Work department is managed by School Social Work Supervisor Laura Chiarello, she has acted in this role since January 2016. More specifically, Social Workers provide a variety of services within the school district. Currently, 28 Social Workers provide services to approximately 155 schools. On an average, 28 social workers carry between 5-7 schools. School Social Workers provide direct service to their assigned schools. This includes social history’s, home visits, assistance with attendance issues, assisting with locating negative cohort students, attending and participating in MRT, AIT and IEP meetings when needed, making referrals, following up with families, crisis

management, and individual and group counseling as needed. In addition, many of the school social workers manage and work at our clothing closet, “Dignity You Wear.” Strategies for Implementation School Social Work Training

Training Name Date Presenter Audience # of Participants

Social Work Skills: Pre-planning/ Teamwork Presentation, Review documents, google, ARS, On-call calendar, Marketing and community Outreach, CAST, Information on Military Children,

08/07 Laura Chiarello SSW 30

Social Work Skills Pre-planning

Group Work Training: Theoretical Foundations & Application to Child Therapy Groups

08/08 Larry D. Wagoner, Ph.D., LMFT

Assistant Professor Clinical Director

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences

Jacksonville University

SSW 30

Social Work Skills: Grief Counseling

This training provides information on how to support youth facing Grief and Loss.

The participants will learn:

What is grief and loss? The Adult Guide to Supporting Youth and Young Adults Facing Grief and Loss Complicated & Disenfranchised Grief -- when to refer Having hard conversations Preventing compassion fatigue

08/09 Vonceil P. Levine, LCSW

Haven Hospice

SSW 29

Social Work Skills:

Emotional Intelligence

08/10

Melissa Kennedy,

Health Advocate

SSW 27

Ethics & Professionalism Part I

The participants will learn/discuss how to:

Manage biases Communicate effectively Build relationships between parents and schools Confidentiality

Crisis

Bullying

DCPS Office of Equity and Inclusion

Heather Lawson

Heather Watson

Social Work Skills; “Understanding PTSD in Children and Adolescents

10/11 Erica Whitfield, MACP, DCC, LMHC

SSW 30

Social Work Skills: Ethics and Professionalism Part II

DCPS Office of Equity and Inclusion

Dr. Bynes

11/01 SSW 33

Social Work Skills: Responding in Crisis

11/29 Nova Southeastern University

SSW 35

Social Work Skills: Holiday Celebration- Team Building

12/13 Fraternal Order of Police SSW 25

Social Work Skills:

Generation Z: Prior Generations Just Don’t Understand

01/17 Heather McGinnis,

Nova Southeastern University

SSW 33

Social Work Skills:

Student Option for Success (SOS)

Recovery School

ESE Laws and Policy's

Perform, Evaluation

2/14 Marcy LaVine

Dan Renaud

Dr. Susan Leach

Cecile Wallace

SSW 29

Social Work Skills:

School Social Work Appreciation Month

Duval/Clay County networking and collaboration, Clay and Duval SSW updates and reports, Updates on new laws and legislation

3/17 Clay County -Orange Park HS

Various presenters

SSW 28

Social Work Skills: NOVA National Crisis Training

7/9-7/14

6/25-6/29

Beth Rossman SSW 4 SSW including myself

Accomplishments:

# of Social history’s completed 1023

# of service cases completed 325

# of AIT Meetings 2,742

# of AIT Contracts Signed 711

# of Referrals 525

Dignity You Wear

# of clothing items disbursed to students from the Dignity you wear clothing closet

3026

Dignity You Wear

Total consumers served

646

Dignity You Wear

Number of schools served

286

% of time spent contacting families 30.19%

% of time spent contacting students 10.93%

%of time contacting school staff 34.52%

# of Cohort Referrals 358

# of Cohort Contacts Made 195

# of hours SSW spent on crisis response 503

# of students who received crisis counseling

2433

# of students who received individual counseling

99

# of student groups facilitated 33

Policy and Procedures Manual for Social Workers completed

Policy and Procedures Manual disbursed to all school Principals

New Social History developed All SSW utilizing the on-line version of the Social History

Social workers to provide comprehensive services to maximum of 3 schools

(4) SSW had the opportunity to work at 2 schools to provide comprehensive services

Internship Program Introduced 4 Interns from UNF completed the school year Qualtrics data collecting program was initiated

All SSW are utilizing the Qualtrics program to document their data

Support Parent Academy, with providing workshops and trainings to parents.

Ongoing. Presented at 5 schools for the parent academy (Attendance topic)

SSW Services has a mailbox for school staff, parents, students to leave messages

On-going continue to monitor mailbox

for information and services Marketing campaign began to disburse flyers, brochures and information regarding the school social work program

Brochures, large floor banner received, SSW presented information at the UNF internship fairs, school expo, Juvenile Diversion Program School Readiness back to school event farmers marker, and Art Walk

Attendance and withdrawal processes for school CRT and counselors was developed

All school counselors and CRT workers were trained in withdrawal process and codes by their school social worker

Driver’s License truancy program imitative completed

Driver's license truancy program rolled out in January

Crisis Counseling 7 SSW provided crisis counseling to the students at Parkland HS

SAO Truancy Program has been redesigned and revised

SSW were trained on the new SAO process and procedures

YCC meetings are now attended by me Attended 7 YCC Staffing's Developed monthly report for school Principals

ALL SSW’s provide their school Principals with a monthly report outlining the work that has been done in their schools

Moved clothing closet location Moved clothing closet Dignity you Wear location from the warehouses to Southside Middle School ATOSS portable

Opportunities:

Modification of data collecting tool, Qualtrics to track School Social Workers deliverables Monitor ARS closely and meet with SSW individually monthly to go over social history referrals to ensure deadlines are being met Increase School Social Work public relations in the community, promoting the work that is being done by school social workers Disburse School Social Work Policy & Procedures manual to district and school based administration and staff Implemented the Driver's License Suspension Program for truant students Restructured the process for referring habitual truant students to the State Attorney’s Office.

School social workers play a key role in the identification of student, school, and community needs. They are in a position to identify unmet needs, gaps in the service delivery system, and educational policies that operate to exclude and/or isolate a particular group(s) of children from making the best use of what the school has to offer. Use of the social systems perspective, rather than addressing individual cases in isolation, enables the school social worker to identify and influence pervasive issues that are counterproductive to student success. Problems found within the educational setting often interact requiring the school social worker to view them as several components of a larger problem and determine how best to approach resolving the composite problem by impacting upon one or more of the components.

TEEN PARENT

Teen Parent Service Center - The Teen Parent Service Center (TPSC) is the district’s dedicated transitional program which assists in the coordination of ancillary services in order to direct teen parents towards their goals of graduation and becoming self-sufficient. These ancillary services consist of: Childcare Services

The TPSC operates the only district operated child care center, Possibilities and Success Childcare Center (PASCC), located on the campus of A. Philip Randolph. The district contracts with 65 community childcare centers that are licensed with the Department of Children and Families. These centers are also approved by the Duval County Public School Board.

Healthcare Services - Teen parents are referred to the Duval County Health Department (DCHD) school health program, which has been cited by the Florida Department of Health as a potential “best practice.” Social Services - The TPSC case management model links medical, psychological and social services, the school environment, and childcare services. Students receive counseling, get enrolled in health insurance, referred for prenatal care, WIC, and other support services based on their individual needs. Case managers also work with school staff to ensure that students are in the right academic program, attending school, and aware of what requirements are needed for graduation. The TPSC also assists teen parents currently not attending school in re-enrolling.

Transportation Sections 1006.21(3)(e) and 1011.68, F.S. Require the transportation of pregnant or parenting students and the children of those students as a TAP program service regardless of distance from school. Transportation is provided by school bus, city bus and coordination with contracted transportation providers

The TPSC staff make-up:

TPSC staff allocation Supervisor 1 Specialist 2

Social Workers 1 Teachers 3

Paras 8 Office assistant 1

Account technician 1

Description #s Total number of students and babies served 279

in the 2017-2018 school year Number of teen parents serviced last school year 149 Number of babies serviced last school year 130 Number of high schools serviced with teen parents enrolled 30 Number of middle schools serviced with teen parents enrolled 7 Accomplishments:

Coordinated the implementation of Breast Feeding Centers on four high school campuses. Developed new relationships with Shands /UF Health to implement fast track referral systems for Little Miracles Program. Memorandum of Understanding with the Healthy Start Coalition of Duval to work with students enrolled in the Healthy Families Program. Memorandum of Agreement with the Magnolia Project to implement a teen parent clinic day.

Opportunities:

Implementation of a district wide transitional program for students leaving and returning from maternity leave. Design and implementation of a comprehensive teen parenting school. Create and implement district wide training for school based administrators and staff to share current statutory requirements in regards to teen parenting students and their children.

HEARING OFFICE

The Hearing Office is responsible for reviewing Code of Conduct infractions in order to ensure accurate interpretation and compliance with the district's Code of Student Conduct. The primary function of the Hearing Office is to conduct disciplinary hearings in a fair and impartial manner. The Hearing Officer, Hearing Office Review Committee and Conduct Review teams work to ensure that the due process rights of students are not violated and assign appropriate disciplinary consequences and interventions for student infractions. This can be done by the assignment of students at one of the Alternative Education Centers, Mattie. V. Rutherford or Grand Park or other appropriate disciplinary intervention programs that are available. The Hearing Office

Provides technical support and assistance to school based administrators and district level staff in interpreting and processing Code of Student Conduct infractions. Prepares recommendations of expulsion for the Superintendent and School Board.

Participates in the annual review process and update of the DCPS Code of Student Conduct.

Provides in-service training annually to Principals, Assistant Principals and Deans on the Code of Student Conduct. Conducts Chapter 120 hearings. Facilitates the enrollment of students enrolling in the district from Pre-Trial, non-district or out of county alternative education programs. Collaborates with outside agencies to provide additional alternative educational possibilities for students (i.e., Florida Youth Challenge, Job Corp. PACE, AMI, Catapult, etc.) Monitors referrals process and gathers discipline data to provide appropriate district personnel information regarding number of students referred, hearings conducted and other pertinent data relating to the hearing office.

Accomplishments:

Decreased total number of student enrolled in all Alternative Education Centers Decreased the number of students who re-entered the Alternative Education Centers

School Name

2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017

# Enrolled

# of Returners

# Enrolled

# of Returners

# Enrolled

# of Returners

Mattie V. Rutherford

546 53 386 20 354 11

Grand Park 570 34 332 34 154 0

Total 1,116 87 718 54 508 11

Monthly training for Deans and Assistant Principals (Code of Student Conduct, FOCUS, Alternative School Packet Procedures) Quarterly Training with Discipline Team Security and ISSP (Mental Health, COSC, FOCUS) Decrease timeframe for In-Person and Chapter 120 hearings Increased turnaround time for Review committee hearing results to be reported to parents and schools Improved communication partnership with the Hearing Office and Regional Superintendents

Accomplishments Increases communication with internal and external partners about hearing office procedures

o External Partners. (State Attorney’s Office, DJJ, DDC, Teen Court etc.) o Internal Partners (Legal, Principal’s, ESE, Conduct Review, Social Workers, Student Discipline)

Reduced Alternative School assignments and replaced with other discipline interventions Continue to increase the communication between Hearing Office and Alternative Education Center administration

Increased communication and alignment of the Hearing Office and Conduct Review Office for students with disabilities Detailed communication reports submitted to schools for hearing office packets rejected by the Review Committee or Hearing Officer

Opportunities

Streamline student expulsion process; paperless process Increased hearing office technology for Hearing Office Referrals/Procedures

o Development of an online hearing office referral packet to include online submission process o Introduction of Hearing Office Parent/School Surveys (via Technology/Computer/IPad) o Potential hearings to be conducted via DCPS SKYPE software (This will eliminate travel time for school and allow administration to stay in school buildings)

Increase communication with school discipline/school social workers for student/parents that cannot be reached after placement has been determined Increase training for Hearing Office procedures related to appropriately documenting school incidents/infractions (i.e. witness statements, video evidence, photographs, medical documentation, restitution options, police reports)

CRISIS RESPONSE Introduction The District Crisis Team is comprised of the Crisis Hotline Advisor as well as the School Psychologist for Bully Prevention, School Social Workers, School Psychologists and Mental Health Counselors. Individuals are deployed as needed when a crisis event presents. The Duval Public Schools Crisis Hotline is manned by district duty staff between the hours of 8:00 to 4:30 and is forwarded to the District Crisis Team Advisor during after-hours. The crisis team is based on a model championed by the National Association of School Psychologists – PREPaRE – which involves preventing psychological trauma, reaffirming physical health, evaluating psychological trauma risk, providing interventions, responding to psychological need and examining the effectiveness of crisis prevention and intervention. The Duval County Public School’s District Crisis Response and Recovery provides a comprehensive approach for school personnel to address the social/emotional issues of students and school personnel following a crisis or traumatic event and explore preventative measures for the future. In addition to responding to specific events. The Crisis Hotline is maintained for school personnel to request assistance for individual students who may be exhibiting the following behaviors: • Actively threatening to harm themselves or others. • Has recent wounds that may be self-inflicted. • Is unwilling or unable to calmly or rationally talk, is non-responsive to intervention or continues to escalate or maintain dysfunctional levels of emotional intensity. The Crisis Hotline serves as a referral resource to school personnel who are in need of consultation in order to meet the social and emotional needs of students. The Crisis Hotline Advisor and School Psychologist for Bully Prevention collaborate with school personnel to investigate when a Gaggle email alert indicating self-harm, abuse, unhealthy practices and a variety of other things is received from the Student Safety Team.

A variety of trainings is provided to school personnel such as administrators, teachers, School Resource Officers, school psychologists, school counselors and school social workers. Training has also been provided to local mental health professionals, students, parents, student teacher interns, college students and community members. The Crisis Hotline works in a collaborative effort with community mental health providers. In an attempt to reduce the number of children Baker Acted from the Duval County Public Schools, the Crisis Hotline collaborates with the Child Guidance Center Rapid Response Team to assess and intervene during critical and emotionally taxing periods in children’s lives. These periods may include times when children present a danger to themselves and/or to others. A collaboration exists with local Baker-Act receiving facilities Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital, River Point Behavioral Health and the Mental Health Resource Center, to obtain a Release of Information from parents when a student is discharged from their facility in order to assist with the transition back to school. Following a student death, the Crisis Hotline collaborates with Angels for Alison which helps provide burial funds for families in need. Strategies for Implementation

Crisis Hotline Calls The Crisis Hotline took 1542 calls between July, 2017 and mid- June, 2018, an increase from the previous year of 3.6%. The Hotline averages 8 calls for assistance per day. The highest number of calls in one day was 25. Twelve calls were made on days when school was not in session, not including after-hours calls on school days. The Child Guidance Rapid Response Team (RRT) was deployed to schools for 1217 students during the year.

Call types to the Crisis Hotline included:

Call Type Count Behavioral 541 Cutting 112 Faculty/Staff Death 16 Homicidal 48 Other 45 Self-Harm 20 Service Referral 13 Student Death 22 Suicidal 712 Traumatic Stress Response 24 Due to the number of calls to the Crisis Hotline exceeds the capacity, the Crisis Hotline staff is required to “triage” calls, refer callers to the local police, or indicate that the response for an individual student may be delayed for two or more hours (students are put in que based on type of call and time the call was received). The RRT was unable to respond to calls in a timely fashion 42% of the time because the number of calls exceeds the demand. The RRT was unable to respond in a timely fashion 37% of the time during the 2016-17 school year and 20% during the 2015-16 school year; demonstrating a steady decrease in the ability to respond in a timely manner. The RRT was unable to respond to 71 or 4.6% of the calls either due to call volume or calls being received at the end of the school day. Two hundred thirty-nine calls were cancelled by the school.

The month of October had the highest number of calls to the Crisis Hotline relative to the number of school days with 232 calls for assistance. Monthly breakdown of calls: July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Behavioral 1 31 51 104 61 39 29 58 47 67 48 0 Cutting 0 4 16 16 15 7 11 8 7 13 15 0 Faculty/staff death 0 1 1 0 1 0 3 3 3 3 1 0 Homicidal 0 0 1 3 3 1 1 16 7 9 5 0 Other 4 3 2 6 4 3 5 5 1 7 5 0 Self-harm 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 3 4 2 0 Service Referral 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 Student Death 1 2 1 1 3 1 3 2 2 1 4 1 Suicidal 0 39 32 96 85 51 47 95 84 100 79 1 Traumatic Stress Response

0 1 2 3 1 0 4 3 4 3 2 0

Total Calls 7 82 106 232 173 103 105 201 160 210 161 2 Representatives from 146 public schools (81%) and 18 Charter Schools or Contract Schools/Programs utilized the Crisis Hotline at least once during the year. The Charter schools called the Crisis Hotline 68 times during the course of the year. The following schools were the heaviest utilizers (25 calls or more) of the Crisis Hotline: School Number of calls (Suicidal) (Behavioral) (Cutting) Arlington Middle * 60 25 28 3 Smart Pope Livingston Elementary *

43 10 27 1

Normandy Village Elementary *

41 10 27 1

Fort Caroline Middle 36 25 17 9 Twin Lakes Academy Middle

31 13 3 12

Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary

30 1 28 0

Bayview Elementary 29 2 24 1 Ramona Elementary 29 9 17 0 Joseph Stilwell Middle

29 15 5 5

Jefferson Davis Middle

29 19 1 6

Mayport Middle 29 19 2 5 DuPont Middle * 27 16 6 3 Louis Sheffield Elementary *

26 6 18 0

Beauclerc Elementary *

26 8 18 0

* Schools with a Behavioral Support or Pride Program

Although the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) population is 14.5% of the general student population (18.7% including Gifted) in Duval County Public Schools, 35.6% of the calls to the crisis hotline were ESE students (39% including Gifted). Thirty-four percent of those ESE students have a primary exceptionality of Emotional Behavior disorder and 24% Other Health Impaired. Six of the highest referring schools have either a Behavior Supports or Pride Program. Twin Lakes Academy Middle school reported a relatively high number of students with cutting behaviors compared to other schools.

Male students constituted 45.6% of the calls; however, female students (52.6%) were more likely to report suicidal ideations than male students (47.3%). Males constituted 77% of the behavioral calls and females constituted 76% of the calls for cutting. While the ratio of African-American to Caucasian students is fairly equal for the number of suicidal ideation calls, the ratio for behavioral calls is nearly 5 to 2. African-American males constituted 53% of the students recommended for a Baker Act, whereas they constituted 76% of the behavioral calls. This discrepancy is consistent with DCPS disciplinary data. According to Duval County Public School data for 2016-17, while African-American students make up 44% of Duval’s student body, nearly 80% of the students suspended and 70% of students who served in-school suspension last year were African-American.

The Crisis Hotline was utilized for some students more than once. The majority of calls for those students with five or more calls were due to behavioral concerns. # Calls 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 # Students 145 35 19 13 7 4 2 2 The Crisis Hotline is primarily manned by the Crisis Hotline Advisor and is answered by the School Psychologist for Bully Prevention when multiple calls are received at the same time, or the primary person is out of the office. The Crisis Hotline was answered by the District Hotline Advisor 63% of the time and the School Psychologist for Bully Prevention 24%. The Mental Health Counselor, assigned to answer the hotline when the aforementioned were not available, answered 8% of the calls. The remainder of calls were fielded by 9 other office employees as the need warranted.

Baker Acts The number of students Baker Acted vary depending upon the source. Data from the previous school year indicated 117 Baker Acts were accounted for through school with 83 initiated by the Rapid Response Team or a medical professional and 34 by the School Resource Officer. When data was compiled from the Child Guidance Rapid Response Team (RRT) and school police, and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the overall total was 178. Current data also reflects a discrepancy between data sources. Although the data recorded for the Crisis Hotline reflects 176 were recommended for hospitalization through the Baker Act after a mental health assessment, this does not reflect the total number of students receiving a Baker Act. There were an additional 18 students Baker Acted through the School Police that were not reported through the Crisis Hotline. Records received through the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office indicates an additional 21 students (through February 14th) that were not reported through the Crisis Hotline. Thus, there were at least 216 students recommended for a Baker Act this school year. This is more than a 48% increase in the number of Baker Acts over the previous school year recorded through the Crisis Hotline alone and a 21% increase when looking at the overall numbers received. The RRT was called upon to respond on 1217 occasions to assess students who may be a harm to themselves or others. The data indicates that 14% of the students were hospitalized after an assessment.

The highest percentage of Baker Acts were due to suicidal Ideation. Reason Percentage Behavioral 58% Suicidal 33% Cutting 5% Homicidal 4% Self-Harm <1% The following reflects the number of Baker Acts recorded per month: July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total Total Baker Acted

0 15 11 18 27 17 10 25 13 25 15 0 176

Accomplishments responses for a total of 53 days to the following events: Death of Students (1 confirmed suicide, another possible suicide)

22

Death of Faculty/Staff Members 16 Traumatic Events 1 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors were deployed on 33 days to provide counseling services to 347 school personnel at the school sites. The crisis responses of the District Crisis Team required the services of 28 school social workers, 3 district level personnel, and 7 school psychologists for a total of 120 individual responder responses who counseled 2433 students. The number of students seen is an increase of 60% over the 2016-17 school year. It took 503 “direct service” hours to respond to these crisis events at the school sites. Referrals to Angels for Allison were made for 7 youth in order to provide financial assistance for funerals.

In addition, responders from DCPS were deployed to the Parkland, FL mass school shooting site. A total of 16 responders provided assistance spread over a three-week period for a total of 44 days of direct service. Crisis Prevention/Intervention The School Psychologist for Crisis Response and the School Psychologist for Bully Prevention received email alerts when a student email included certain words indicating the possibility of self-harm, suicide or abuse. While most investigations were initiated by the school, at least 16 emails required a school contact to initiate an investigation and assess the need for potential follow-up should a student be in crisis.

The Crisis Hotline Advisor conducted 24 trainings for 594 students, parents, school personnel and community members. Topics included Crisis Response, Baker Act information, De-escalation Techniques, Teen Depression/Suicide, Grief and Mental Health First Aid for Youth and Adults.

Since July, 2017, 486 Releases of Information and Discharge Summaries were obtained and distributed to School Social Workers and School Counselors as well as ESE staff to aid in transitioning a student back to school and to assist in educational planning. This is a 32% decrease from the 2016-17 school year.

Although the number of discharge summaries received from Baker Act facilities exceeds the known number of students Baker Acted from school, they do not accurately reflect all of the students known to be Baker Acted from school. The number of Release of Information/Discharge Summaries received are as follows: Baker Act Facility River Point Behavioral Health 266 Mental Health Resource Center 219 Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital 1 Crisis Trends The number of calls to the Crisis Hotline has increased 2.6% since the 2016-17 school year. The number of calls for students who are suicidal or homicidal, or with behavioral concerns has increased by 4% over the past year. The number of calls for students who are cutting or self-harming has increased 61%. The number of calls to the DCPS Crisis Hotline as well as the the number of Baker Acts from the RRT has more than doubled since 2011. Yet, the number of responders available from the Rapid Response Team has remained constant since 2011. Almost 46% of the calls were for suicidal ideation, 35% for students exhibiting very difficult to manage behavior, and 7% were for cutting behaviors. Calls for behavior are greatest for grades Kindergarten through three; whereas calls for suicidal ideation gradually rise, peak between grades six and eight, then gradually decrease. Middle schools continue to be the highest utilizer of the services of the Crisis Hotline. The highest rate of students recommended for a Baker Act were in the Middle School grades, with the most in Eighth grade.

The number of faculty or student deaths have increased from 33 to 37 this school year. There was 1 confirmed student death by suicide and another possible. There was 1 confirmed staff death by suicide. A vigilant effort continues to be necessary in order to eliminate any death of a student by suicide.

Opportunities

Crisis hotline data supports the need for expanding mental health supports within the school district. Demand for services continues to exceed the current capacity and is expected to continue to increase. Response by the RRT was delayed 42% of the time; demonstrating a need to have trained/skilled staff within the schools to de-escalate emotional behaviors and effectively manage mental health issues. With the recent events in Parkland, Florida and Santa Fe, Texas, and the passage of Senate Bill 7026, it is critical that school staff be proactive in the delivery of services. Lessons learned from Parkland, Florida indicate in a large scale event, the school system’s resources can become overwhelmed. This leaves the district with the potential of the inability to respond, especially when multiple events require a response on the same day or when a large scale event occurs. It is important that schools not wait until a tragedy or crisis event occurs to develop procedures or train staff. While the emergency mental and behavioral

health needs of the students in Duval County Public Schools will continue to be addressed through a District Crisis Response and District Crisis Hotline, schools must have systematic procedures in place with a broad-based understanding of grief and/or trauma responses, cultural sensitivity, and crisis intervention practices to effectively and proactively address student’s behavioral needs and handle crisis events. Data suggests the primary focus of training should be with behavioral supports and de-escalation in grades Kindergarten through three, and emotional supports in the Middle and High school grades. Having a dedicated crisis team or individuals able to schedule crisis response into their daily duties would assist in meeting this need. Organizing community resources may be another avenue to meet the needs of individuals for a large-scale crisis response. Mental health services in the schools is imperative for learning as well as reducing the number of behavioral referrals and suspensions. Schools need to have plans in place for those students who require multiple calls to the Crisis Hotline. Provision of therapeutic services for children who have been traumatized, social-emotional learning programs, and trauma-informed practices should be enhanced. Discrepancies between the number of students receiving a Baker Act from school and the number of Discharge Summaries received continue to exist. Collaboration with the Baker Act receiving facilities, the Rapid Response Team, School Police, and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, needs to be enhanced in order to maintain an accurate count of students being recommended for a Baker Act from school.

BULLY PREVENTION Introduction According to the 2017, Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YBRS) bullying is on the rise in Duval County. Since 2013, increases have occurred in both middle and high school students reporting that they have ever been bullied on school property, middle school students reporting that they have carried a weapon for protection and high school students indicating that they did not go to school because they felt unsafe. The DCPS bully prevention program serves to educate employees, students, parents and citizens of this community about bully prevention. The Bullying Hotline was instituted in 2013 to offer an easier way for bullying allegations to be reported and subsequently investigated. Reports can be made in a variety of ways including oral and written reporting, calls to the hotline and email reporting. Callers can make reports to a certificated professional who then works with the schools to address the concerns. In addition to providing training modules DCPS has also written into its curriculum guided lessons from the Second Steps anti-violence/anti-bullying program. Second Step is applicable from kindergarten through eighth grade. Another resource is Bully Free, this an online option for all grades where teachers can download entire lesson plans aligned with their content for delivery as part of their instructional plan. District specialists offer professional learning opportunities on the topic of bullying. This includes bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment and teen dating violence as defined by Florida State Statute 1006.147. Information is provided regarding prevention, notification, jurisdiction, instruction, and covers the publication of the policy and counseling referrals. The Bullying Prevention Hotline phone number is (904) 390-2255. The Bully Prevention School Psychologist Heather Watson oversees day to day operations of Bully Prevention. Reporting forms may be found at schools and on the DCPS website. During the 2017-2018 academic year the hotline generated reports for 229 incidents. Of those incidents, 34 were substantiated as bullying, 3 substantiated as harassment and 192 unsubstantiated bullying. Strategies for Implementation

Training Name Audience # Trained

Bully Prevention for

Interns in Education

University Student Teacher Interns 300

Bully Training Across Cultures

Cultural Linguistic Center participants 15

Bully Prevention for

Charter Schools

Charter School Principals 50

Bully Prevention for Students

Various Schools 120

Bully Consultations

Various Schools 22

School Bully

Prevention Trainings

School Bully Investigators 40

Creating Safe and Supportive Environments (Parent Academy)

Various Schools and Community locations.

30

Opportunities Bully Prevention will continue to work toward meeting the needs of school personnel, parents and students during the 2018-19 school year. In order to enhance these efforts, the following items are proposed:

Update the Bully Prevention Manual to include the legislative changes including the HOPE Scholarship Expand the Bully Prevention Training to provide enhanced mental health information. Enhance activities for Bully Prevention Month Partner with the Lynn Mattice Foundation regarding bully prevention Continue providing hands on support to school based staff and administration

FULL SERVICE SCHOOLS

Introduction Full Service Schools (FSS) of Jacksonville is a long-standing, school-community collaboration starting in 1991 and providing much needed services for Duval County Public School students. This neighborhood-governed funding and service collaboration works to remove non-academic barriers to student learning and support family success. Typical services offered include: behavioral help for children, individual/family counseling, mentoring, parenting help, after-school tutoring, case management, medical/health services, and after-school activities.

In the mid-1990s, FSS funding partners asked United Way of Northeast Florida (UWNEFL), one of the original funders, to serve as the administrative lead for FSS. FSS began in the Greater Springfield neighborhood and has grown its social services networks to seven additional neighborhoods - Arlington, Englewood, Historic James Weldon Johnson, Ribault, Sandalwood, Westside, and the Beaches. The newest FSS, Sandalwood, started in January 2008 after UWNEFL received a three-year, $1.6 million gift from the Weaver Family Foundation. Services are now available through 87 schools (10 high schools, 15 middle schools, 58 elementary schools, 4 alternative/exceptional schools) with main FSS offices located on school property. About 57,000 students, or about 45% of Duval County Public School students, are eligible for FSS services. A referral can be made by a school, community agency, parent or student. Once the referral has been received, a DCPS social worker conducts an initial screening to determine the family’s needs. Based on the needs identified, the social worker offers the family referrals for appropriate services. Some services may be internal to FSS such as counseling and behavior management. Other services may be external such as food from a local food bank. In all situations, the social worker works with the family to make sure that they are linked to the appropriate services agreed upon in the assessment.

Full Service Schools success is based on strong collaboration with many partners. FSS is proud that this collaboration was recognized by the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida when it received the Local Focus-Lasting Impact “Collective Power Award” in the Spring of 2014. Strategies for Implementation There are many nonprofit agencies that collaborate with Full Service Schools in their delivery of services. Nonprofit agency partners include:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of NEFL

Duval County Public Schools

Jewish Family & Community Services

Child Guidance Center

Family Foundations

Lutheran Social Services of NEFL

Children’s Home Society

Family Support Services

Mental Health America of NEFL

Daniel Memorial

Gateway Community Services

St. Vincent’s Mobile Health

Duval County Health Department

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid

Youth Crisis Center

Local partners – Baptist Health, Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), Duval County Health Department (DCHD), Kids Hope Alliance (formerly JCC), United Way of Northeast Florida (UWNEFL) and St. Vincent’s Mobile Health – provide about $4.9 million annually in funding to support Full Service Schools. The following chart highlights each partner and the purpose of their funding.

Funding Partner* Purpose of Funding

Baptist Health School Based Health Clinic (PLUS Model) and Eyeglasses Program

Duval County Public Schools Case Management and Facilities Duval County Health Department Nursing Services

Kids Hope Alliance (formerly JCC) Mental Health and Behavioral Health Counseling United Way of Northeast Florida

Community Impact Fund

Lucy Gooding Charitable Foundation Trust

Administration, Coordination, Infrastructure, Neighborhood Grants

Full Funding of the Westside FSS

St. Vincent’s Mobile Health Medical Care, Immunizations, Physicals and Screenings

The Chartrand Family Fund Evaluation, Research and Support for the FSS PLUS Initiative

*The Weaver Family Foundation has also generously supported FSS. Each FSS site has a program coordinator, case manager, secretary and direct service staff. The program coordinator and secretary are UWNEFL employees. FSS case managers are DCPS social workers. Using a best-practices model, FSS case managers assess student and family needs; develop a service plan based on those needs; the case managers’ link students and families to services and informal supports; and advocate for students and their families to ensure appropriate service linkages. FSS case managers use well-established best practices. They: focus on client strengths; emphasize personal responsibility and capability; are proactive; focus on mobilizing individuals, families and appropriate community resources; view the client as a resource; use a vision-building perspective; are grounded in the belief that change is possible; and focus on change goals. FSS services address the therapeutic, health and social service needs of the families in the FSS neighborhood. FSS’s network of providers and partners provides access to therapists, psychologists, nurses, behaviorists, substance abuse counselors, targeted case managers, and other professionals. Services such as counseling, family therapy, behavior management, substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, medical treatment and follow-up, psychological testing, tutoring, and legal consultation are provided and referrals to outside agencies are also made. The Giving Closet, a clothing ministry, is an example of an outside agency accepting referrals from Full Service Schools. All FSS services are provided free of charge. Transportation barriers are minimized because services are delivered within the neighborhood and schools

Full Service Schools Sites Arlington Family Resource Center (Terry Parker)

Program Coordinator: Vicki Lunsford

8015 Parker School Rd. Jacksonville, FL 32211

858-1955, 858-1960 fax [email protected]

Historic James Weldon Johnson Family Resource Center

Program Coordinator: Michael Willis

2115 Commonwealth Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32209


Serving Zip Codes 32211, 32277

Participating Schools:

Arlington Elementary

Arlington Middle

Arlington Heights Elementary

Don Brewer Elementary

Fort Caroline Elementary

Fort Caroline Middle

Justina Road Elementary

Merrill Road Elementary

Parkwood Heights Elementary

Terry Parker High

Woodland Acres Elementary

Lake Lucina Elementary

Serving Zip Codes 32254, 32205, & 32209


Annie R. Morgan Elementary

Biltmore Elementary

Bridge to Success Academy at West Jax

Dinsmore Elementary

Eugene Butler Middle

Grand Park Alternative Sch.

Palm Ave. Exceptional Center

Paxon Senior High

Pickett Elementary

Pinedale Elementary

R. V. Daniels Elementary

Ramona Elementary

Reynolds Lane Elementary

Ruth Upson Elementary

S.P. Livingston Elementary

Susie E. Tolbert Elementary

Beaches Resource Center

Program Coordinator: Laura Acker

Ribault Family Resource Center

Program Coordinator: Sharon Robinson

700 Seagate Ave Neptune Beach, FL 32266


Serving Zip Codes 32250, 32233, 32266


Atlantic Beach Elementary

Finegan Elementary

Fletcher Middle

Fletcher High

Jacksonville Beach Elementary

Marine Science Center

Mayport Elementary

Mayport Middle

Neptune Beach Elementary

San Pablo Elementary

Seabreeze Elementary

3701 Winton Dr. Jacksonville, FL 32208




A. Phillip Randolph Academy

Carter G. Woodson Elementary

Martin Luther King Elementary

Northwestern Middle

Raines High

Ribault Middle

Ribault High

Rufus Payne Elementary

Rutledge Pearson Elementary

S. A. Hull Elementary

Sallye B. Mathis Elementary

St.Clair Evans Academy Englewood Family Resource Center

Program Coordinator: Marchelle Smith

4412 Barnes Rd. Jacksonville, FL 32207

730-6288 or 730-6289, 739-5339 fax [email protected]


Westside Family Resource Center

Program Coordinator: Karen Schum

7750 Tempest St. S., Jacksonville, FL 32244





Englewood Elementary

Englewood High

Greenfield Elementary

Hogan Spring Glen Elementary

Holiday Hill Elementary

Love Grove Elementary

Southside Middle

Spring Park Elementary

Bayview Elementary

Cedar Hills Elementary

Jacksonville Heights Elementary

JEB Stuart Middle

Jefferson Davis Middle

Lake Shore Middle

Timucuan Elementary

Westside High

Greater Springfield Family Resource Center (Andrew Jackson)

Program Coordinator: Felicia Simmons

3816 Main St. Jacksonville, FL 32206


Serving Zip Code 32206


Andrew Jackson High

Andrew Robinson Elementary

Brentwood Elementary

John Love Elementary

Kirby Smith Middle

Longbranch Elementary

Sandalwood Family Resource Center

Program Coordinator: Angela Seabrooks

2750 John Prom Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32246


Serving Zip Codes 32224, 32225, and 32246


Abess Park Elementary

Alimacani Elementary

Brookview Elementary

Kernan Middle

Kernan Trails Elementary

Landmark Middle

Lone Star Elementary

Matthew Gilbert Middle

North Shore Elementary

R. L. Brown Elementary

Sandalwood High

Southside Estates Elementary

Waterleaf Elementary

Windy Hill Elementary

Accomplishments

FSS Site

2017-18

Referrals from

elementary schools

Referrals from middle schools

Referrals from high

schools

Referrals from parents and self-referrals

Referrals from

agencies

Total referrals Arlington 219 60 49 53 153 534

Beaches 174 75 87 64 39 439 Englewood 201 45 100 172 38 556 Greater

Springfield 262 87 23 3 16 391

Historic JWJ 381 55 31 16 17 500 Ribault 209 91 146 344 27 817

Sandalwood 447 290 160 101 29 1027 Westside 77 180 242 81 53 633 Total 1970 883 838 834 372 4897

Duval County Schools Served 87 Students Eligible for Services 57,000 high schools 11 Percent of Duval Students Eligible for

Services 45%

middle schools 15 elementary schools 58 People Served 2017-18 26,743 exceptional schools 1 Students Referred 2017-18 4,897

alternative schools 2

*As of May 2018

Every student referred for MH counseling that keeps an appointment gets an assessment. The FSS network includes 45 therapists and behaviorists making it a significant provider of student mental health counseling services. Therapists conduct thorough bio-psychosocial assessments to identify presenting problems; history of out-of-home placements; prior involvement in the juvenile justice or child welfare systems; history of alcohol and substance use and abuse; history of child abuse; educational and vocational history and functioning;

psychological testing; family history, structure and functioning; child’s current mental status; identification of strengths and support systems and provisional mental health diagnosis. FSS Results 2017-18: (*2016-17 FSS Results – 17/18 Year Results Not Yet Available)

• 92% of students completing treatment were promoted to the next grade level. • 97% of parents/caregivers and non-parent referral sources indicated that they saw an improvement in their child’s behavior upon completion of treatment. • 98% of students completing treatment demonstrated a measurable increase in overall functioning as a result of services received through Full Service Schools.

The therapists also use the Child Functional Assessment Rating Scale (CFARS). This tool, used throughout the state of Florida, includes pre- and post-measurement in 16 functional areas (depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, thought process, cognitive performance, medical/physical, traumatic stress, substance use, interpersonal relationships, behavior in “home” setting, ADL functioning, socio-legal, work or school, danger to self, danger to others, and security management needs). The assessments are made on a scale of 1 signifying “no problem” to 9 signifying “extreme problems”. These specifics allow the therapist and student to define the most urgent problems for a treatment plan. Second, an overall rating of the student’s mental and behavioral functioning is determined by adding the sixteen separate ratings. Therapists, with input from the student and their parents, develop treatment plans that identify goals and objectives to address the presenting problems. Examples of such goals and objectives include improving coping skills, strengthening control of impulses and anger, improving decision-making, etc. The therapist, student and parent all sign the treatment plan. Therapists document student progress after each session. If a student is not making progress or is non-compliant, he/she is referred to more appropriate services, such as truancy interdiction, case management, etc.

Therapists are responsible for the following activities: Meet with and provide therapy at times and places convenient for client and their family, including school, home, FSS office and other community locations. Actively and effectively, coordinate treatment planning with client, their family and collaterals contacts. Conduct regular sessions with client and significant others following time guidelines of program and treatment plan. Maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation of client assessments, evaluations, and progress. Document all clinically significant events and services. Provide training to parents and other caregivers that relate to client’s needs, diagnoses, age, and developmental issues.

Opportunities The Safe Schools/Mental Health Allocation funding of 2.6 million will allow Duval County Public Schools to build upon the existing Full Service Schools infrastructure.  Since 1991, Full Service Schools (partnership with United Way, Kids Hope Alliance and Duval County Public Schools) has provided mental health services in 87 of our 160 comprehensive schools (38 therapists). Kid’s Hope Alliance will provide DCPS with 28 additional therapists to provide access to 28 schools. The 2.6 million in Mental Health Allocation funding will allow the district to build upon its

existing collaborative infrastructure to hire 36 additional therapists to provide mental health access to the remaining 73 Duval County Public Schools. This funding will also allow DCPS to provide mental health training to school personnel in elementary, middle and high schools and provide universal screening to 3rd, 6th and 9th grade students and students who have been charged with a violent school of conduct code violation.     Mental Health Allocation Deployment Plan    Current Proposed   # of

Therapist  # of

Schools  Ratio  # of

Therapist  # of

Schools  Ratio 

Traditional Full Service Schools 

26  75 schools 

1:3  26  57 schools 

1:2 

Full Service Schools PLUS 

12  12 schools 

1:1  12  12 schools 

1:1 

Mental Health Allocation (NON Full Service Schools) 

-  -  -  36  73 schools 

1:2 

Kids Hope Alliance Additional Funding (Turnaround Schools) 

-  -  -  28  28 schools 

1:1 

Universal Screenings (students)  1,250  6 schools  -  40,000  160

schools  - 

Mental Health Training (trainings)  17  66

schools  189

trained  24  160 schools 

350 trained 

      

Documents

dcps.duvalschools.org · Web viewIt is essential for each school in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) to be a healthy, respectful, and supportive environment in which students can